Russia Plans Military Exercises as Putin Prepares for Beijing Visit

A Russian attack damaged port infrastructure in Ukraine’s Danube River city of Izmail, a crucial grain-export hub, while Russian authorities said they intercepted four Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow, as reciprocal attacks persist and peace efforts remain stalled.

Izmail, in the Odesa region, is a frequently targeted logistics center and came under bombardment in the early hours of Tuesday. It serves as Ukraine’s largest port on the Danube River.

Ukrainian air defense systems destroyed nearly all Russian drones over open territory outside populated areas of the Izmail district, minimizing civilian risk, according to the Odesa Regional State Administration. The attack lasted from about 1 a.m. to 3 a.m. local time, and firefighters worked to extinguish a blaze in a building with shattered windows.

The assault followed another Russian strike on port infrastructure in Izmail on the night of May 2.

In Kharkiv, two people were rescued and one person remained possibly trapped under rubble after a Russian drone attack, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram.

In Russia, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that four drones approaching the capital were shot down and emergency services were activated. The incident followed a heavy Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow over the weekend, after which Russia struck Odesa and Dnipro, damaging residential buildings and injuring dozens.

In the Russian Kursk region bordering Ukraine, a woman was killed and two people were wounded in a Ukrainian attack on Monday evening, the Kursk operational headquarters reported on Telegram.

Russia’s southern Rostov region and Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow, which houses oil refining infrastructure, also reported drone attacks. Yaroslavl Governor Mikhail Yevrayev warned drivers heading toward Moscow of drone threats.

The hostilities come despite a U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire earlier this month, which included a planned 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap. Both sides accused each other of violations during and after the truce.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday evening for a two-day state visit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, marking the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship and focusing on energy ties, including the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced that Russian armed forces will conduct an exercise from May 19 to 21 to prepare for the deployment of nuclear forces. More than 64,000 personnel and 7,800 pieces of military equipment will be involved, with ballistic and cruise missiles launched from test sites on Russian territory, the ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian refining capacity has dropped by 10 percent in recent months due to drone and missile attacks, adding: “Putin has, of course, built a war chest, but certainly not enough to fight indefinitely.”