KYIV — Russia launched a wave of aerial attacks at Ukraine on Monday in an abrupt end to a fragile 30-hour Easter truce between the two sides.
The renewed strikes, confirmed by both Moscow and Kyiv, cast doubt on Donald Trump’s hopes for a broader ceasefire between the two sides, hours after the US President said he hoped a “deal” could be struck this week.
“With the end of the ceasefire, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continued to conduct the special military operation,” the Russian army said in a statement, using its term for the military offensive.
Both sides had accused the other of thousands of instances of violating the supposed ceasefire, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.
Just hours after the truce ended at midnight local time Sunday, Ukrainian officials reported renewed drone and missile strikes on the Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.
Sergiy Lysak, the governor of Dnipropetrovsk, said Russia “launched drones” at the eastern region.
One home was damaged and a fire broke out at a food establishment, but no injuries have been reported, he said on Telegram.
Ukraine’s air force said it downed 42 Russian attack drones in an overnight attack starting at 2:00 am on Monday.
Shaky truce
The surprise 30-hour ceasefire was declared by Putin on Saturday, who said it was motivated by “humanitarian reasons”.
Both sides accused each other of numerous violations, but also reported a fall in the intensity the fighting.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Sunday the ceasefire had seen a halt to air attacks, but accused Moscow of carrying out hundreds of front line raids.
Russia’s defence ministry in turn said it had “repelled” Ukrainian assaults and accused Kyiv of launching hundreds of drones and shells, causing civilian casualties.
But it too said the intensity of fire from the Ukrainian side had been “considerably reduced” across the entire front line during the truce.
AFP journalists in eastern Ukraine on Sunday heard fewer explosions than usual and saw no smoke on the horizon.
Putin’s ceasefire declaration came after US President Donald Trump said Friday he would end Washington’s efforts to halt the war unless the two sides moved towards an accord.
On Sunday he expressed hopes the two sides could strike an agreement in the coming days, though did not elaborate on what he had in mind.
“Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” he said on his Truth Social platform.
Trump had earlier tabled a ceasefire proposal, which was accepted by Ukraine but rebuffed by Russia.
