Ukraine and Russia Trade Accusations Over Ceasefire Violations

Ukraine and Russia accused each other over the weekend of breaching a ceasefire that was meant to be in place from 9-11 May under a US initiative to end the war. While Moscow limited large-scale missile and air strikes, frontline fighting continued largely uninterrupted, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine’s General Staff said on Monday it had recorded around 180 combat clashes along the front line in the past 24 hours. Kyiv also said Russian forces had deployed more than 8,000 so-called kamikaze drones in attacks on military positions and populated areas.

Russia’s defense ministry, however, accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire. It said 57 Ukrainian drones had been shot down in a single day and that Russian forces had responded accordingly.

The fighting has caused further civilian casualties in Ukrainian regions. One person was killed and two injured in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the Kherson region, two people were killed and two others wounded. Injuries were also reported in the Mykolaiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he hoped the ceasefire could be extended to allow for further negotiations.

(reuters, max)