Russia has resumed its attacks on Ukraine after a 30-hour 'Easter truce' which Kyiv claims was repeatedly violated by Moscow’s armed forces.
At least three people were killed and three injured in the southern Kherson region after a residential area and store were hit, the region’s governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported in a post on Telegram.
Among the three people killed was a woman struck by a drone while walking down the street, according to Gyunduz Mamedov, former deputy prosecutor general of Ukraine.
In a statement on Monday, Russia's military confirmed its forces had resumed attacks on Ukraine following the surprise “Easter truce” which expired at midnight on Monday.
“With the end of the ceasefire, the armed forces of the Russian Federation continued to conduct the special military operation,” the Russian military said.
Russian officials refer to Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched by the Kremlin in February 2022, as a “special military operation.”
Overall, Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram statement in the early hours on Monday.
Zelensky said Russian forces carried out 96 assault operations along the front line, shelled Ukrainian positions more than 1,800 times, and used hundreds of drones during the course of the ceasefire.
"The nature of Ukrainian actions will continue to be mirror-like: we will respond to silence with silence, and our blows will be a defence against Russian blows. Actions always speak louder than words," he said.
Putin announced a temporary Easter truce on Saturday, citing humanitarian reasons. Ukraine said it would reciprocate any genuine ceasefire by Moscow, but voiced scepticism over the Kremlin's intentions.
A report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi as of 12:00 a.m., following the end of Easter.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025
The total number of violations by the Russian army of Russia’s own ceasefire promise throughout the day reached 2,935. The highest number of shellings and assaults occurred in the Pokrovsk…
Both sides traded accusations of violations shortly afterwards. The ceasefire expired at midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.
Overnight into Monday, Russian forces fired three missiles at Ukraine's southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, as well as 96 Shahed drones targeting other parts of the country, Ukraine's air force reported.
It said it downed 42 drones, while 47 others were jammed mid-flight.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones sparked a fire at an "outbuilding" and a "food enterprise," Governor Serhii Lysak wrote on Telegram.
An unspecified infrastructure object was damaged in the Cherkasy region overnight, Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram.
In a statement on Monday, the Russian Defence Ministry maintained that Moscow's forces "strictly observed the ceasefire and remained at previously occupied lines and positions".
It accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire 4,900 times, including six attempts at assault operations, 1,404 attacks from artillery, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, and 3,316 drone strikes targeting Russian troops.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer has told Volodymyr Zelensky that he backs Ukraine's call for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "The Prime Minister spoke to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky this afternoon.
"The Prime Minister reiterated his iron-clad support for Ukraine. He said that the UK supports Ukraine's calls for Russia to commit to a full ceasefire and that now is the time for Putin to show he is serious about ending his brutal war.
"They discussed the latest developments on the coalition of the willing and looked forward to further progress towards a just and lasting peace."
Sir Keir also spoke to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to discuss the importance of "keeping up economic pressure" on Russia.
