Ukraine blew the city of Mikolife early on Monday, causing Ukraine to issue air raid alerts in Kiev and the eastern half of the country, authorities said hours after the end of the one-day Easter “ceasefire” declared by President Vladimir Putin.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the Russian president’s unilateral Easter ceasefire declaration as a fake “PR” exercise, saying that Russian troops continued attacks with drones and artillery on Sunday in many parts of the frontline.
Washington said it would welcome the extension of the ceasefire, and Zelensky repeated several times Ukraine’s willingness to suspend a 30-day strike in the war.
On Saturday, Putin ordered the suspension of all military activities along the frontline until late Sunday night. He did not issue an order to extend it.
“There were no other orders,” the Russian Tass Region News Agency said that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said when asked if the ceasefire could be extended.
According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, some areas in eastern Ukraine received warnings of air raids minutes after midnight on Monday, with alerts gradually expanding towards the country’s central region.
“We urge city residents to immediately go to the nearest shelter and stay there until alert is over,” the Kiev junta said in a social media post at 4:41am local time.
The explosion has shaken up the Ukrainian port city of Mikolife, mayor Oleksandr Senkevich said. He didn’t say whether it was an air defense system while driving or a bomb landing.
Dnipropetrovsk Regional Governor Sergiy Lysak said in Telegram: “The Russians launched drones in this area.”
He said the home was damaged and a fire broke out at the food facility but no injuries were reported.
Although there were no air raid warnings in Ukraine on Sunday, Ukrainian forces reported nearly 3,000 violations of Russia’s own ceasefire in the heaviest attacks and artillery fire seen along the frontline Pokrovsk section, the Ukrainian forces said on Monday.
Russia’s Bolognez region, adjacent to Ukraine, was also receiving two-hour air raid alerts, the region’s governor said. The Russian defense ministry said on Sunday that Ukrainian forces shot Russia’s position 444 times, counting more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks, with death and injuries among civilians. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.
Donald Trump slammed an optimistic note on Sunday, hoping to win a lasting peace deal.
On Friday, the US President and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would soon move away from peace efforts without any clear signs of progress.
Rubio met with European leaders in Paris last week to discuss ways to end the war. The leak suggests that the White House is pushing for Kremlin-friendly deals that freeze conflicts along the existing 1,000km-long frontline.
Trump envoy Steve Witkov suggests that Crimea and four other Ukrainian provinces will be given to Russia. The US is considering recognizing Crimea as a Russian and offering other incentives to Moscow, including sanctions relief, Bloomberg reported.
The Kremlin argues that the original war goals must be met. They include the removal of Zelensky as president of Ukraine, and the guarantee of the country’s “demilitarization” and its non-nat “neutral” status.
Since the tragic meeting in the oval office in February, Zelensky has been trying to improve his relationship with Washington. Last month, Ukraine is poised to accept a 30-day US ceasefire proposal and sign an agreement on Thursday that gives access to US minerals.
However, there are hints that Zelenskyy is unhappy with the White House Proputin rhetoric. Without taking any response measures against Russia, Trump put pressure on Ukraine to cut military aid and temporarily suspend intelligence news sharing.
On Sunday, Zelensky appeared to take a swipe at Fox TV station after live coverage of Putin’s live coverage, while mistakenly labeling the live coverage of Putin’s live coverage, which is attending the Orthodox Easter service in Moscow as part of Russia.
“Instead of broadcasting religious services from Moscow, the focus should be on putting pressure on Moscow to fully commit to a ceasefire and maintaining it for at least 30 days from Easter.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said it had requested an explanation. “If this was a mistake rather than a deliberate political statement, then there should be an apology and investigation into who made the mistake,” a ministry spokesperson said.
Reuters and
