Ukraine’s military has reported new Russian drone and missile attacks across several regions, just hours after the end of a brief “Easter truce” declared by Moscow.
Air raid alerts were issued overnight in Kyiv and the regions of Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Ukrainian air defense units responded, with officials confirming they were “working on targets” in the Kyiv area.
In Mykolaiv, explosions were heard, according to Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych. It remains unclear if there were any casualties. Later, regional head Vitaliy Kim said missiles struck the city but caused no injuries or damage.
The 30-hour ceasefire, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, ended at midnight on Sunday (21:00 GMT). During the truce, both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violations. Russia’s military has not commented on the latest attacks.
Early Monday, authorities in multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, urged residents to take shelter due to the threat of incoming drone strikes. Ukraine’s air force also warned of potential rocket attacks in central regions and reported Russian aircraft activity in the northeast and east.
President Putin had previously ordered a halt to hostilities from Saturday 18:00 Moscow time (15:00 GMT) until midnight Sunday, stating that Russian forces would remain ready to defend against any attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also agreed to observe the ceasefire.
However, Zelensky later claimed Russia had not honored the truce. He cited a report from Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, which recorded 1,882 incidents of Russian shelling during the truce, including 812 involving heavy weapons. The most intense fighting occurred near Pokrovsk, a key logistics city in the eastern Donetsk region.
Zelensky called Putin’s ceasefire announcement a public relations stunt. “This Easter has clearly demonstrated that the only source of this war, and the reason it drags on, is Russia,” he said. He added that Ukraine’s military would respond proportionally—returning fire only when attacked.
Earlier Sunday, Zelensky proposed a longer truce: a 30-day suspension of drone and missile strikes against civilian infrastructure, with the option to extend it.
The Russian defense ministry claimed its forces had strictly followed the truce. In contrast, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of using US-supplied HIMARS missile systems during the ceasefire.
The surprise truce came shortly after former US President Donald Trump suggested he might stop engaging in peace efforts if no progress was made. On Sunday, Trump said he hoped Russia and Ukraine would reach a deal this week, though he provided no details.
The US State Department responded by reaffirming its commitment to achieving a comprehensive ceasefire. A spokesperson said, “It is long past time to stop the death and destruction and end this war.”
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and currently controls around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014. Since the start of the conflict, hundreds of thousands of people—mostly soldiers—have been killed or injured.
