Russia has unleashed a barrage of missile and drone strikes on Ukraine after a short-lived and partially observed Easter ceasefire expired.
The swift return to major hostilities came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the 30-hour pause on Saturday. Both sides quickly accused the other of repeated violations.
“Military action has resumed,” Putin told state TV reporters on Monday after Ukraine’s air force reported that Russian forces had launched 96 drones and three missiles on eastern and southern Ukraine overnight.
That assault targeted the Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy regions, the air force wrote on Telegram. Air defence units intercepted 42 drones and redirected another 47, it said.
No casualties or major damage was immediately reported although officials in the southern port city of Mykolaiv confirmed several missiles had landed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the renewed fighting showed Russia’s actions “are prolonging the war”.
He made the statement in a post on X as he announced Kyiv would send a delegation to talks in London on Wednesday in the latest effort to find a resolution to the more than three-year conflict.
He said the United States, France and the United Kingdom would be involved in the talks, which are to follow a similar meeting in Paris last week.
Little encouragement for US brokers
Putin had declared an “Easter truce” based on “humanitarian considerations” on Saturday evening, which he said would run until the end of Sunday.
The announcement came a day after US President Donald Trump said Washington would “take a pass” on trying to broker an end to the war should sealing an agreement be delayed much longer.
Zelenskyy dismissed Putin’s ceasefire declaration as “another attempt by Putin to play with human lives”. He countered with an appeal for a longer pause in fighting.
“This will show Russia’s true intentions because 30 hours is enough for headlines but not for real confidence-building measures. Thirty days can give peace a chance,” he said.
Zelenskyy’s proposal on Sunday called for both sides “to cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days”.
In response, Putin said Russia would “analyse” the idea. However, he questioned how it would work as he accused Ukraine of using civilian buildings like restaurants and universities for military purposes. Putin added that he had not ruled out holding bilateral talks with Ukraine on the issue.
For its part, the US Department of State said on Sunday that it would welcome an extension of the Easter ceasefire. However, by that time, the Kremlin had already said the pause would not be extended.
The situation underscores the persistent barriers the Trump administration faces in trying to reach a peace agreement or a significant pause in the fighting.
Although no air raid sirens were heard on Sunday, Ukraine reported nearly 3,000 breaches of Russia’s own truce commitment with the Pokrovsk front seeing the most intense shelling.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Ukrainian forces fired on Russian positions 444 times during the ceasefire period and launched more than 900 drone attacks. It also reported civilian casualties although those claims could not immediately be verified.
Despite the allegations, Trump expressed optimism on Sunday that a peace deal could be agreed upon “this week”.
