Ceasefire declared ineffective as Russian strikes kill three Ukrainians within 24 hours
A three-day truce announced by US President Donald Trump has failed to halt hostilities, with Russian attacks claiming at least three lives and prompting Moscow to claim thousands of ceasefire violations since 9 May.
Despite a three-day ceasefire officially commencing on 9 May, fighting has resumed with lethal consequences for civilians in eastern Ukraine. Within 24 hours of the truce taking effect, Russian attacks have killed at least three people across the Zaporizhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson regions. These incidents have occurred while Kyiv's air force reported intercepting 27 long-range drones, a figure noted as lower than in recent days.
Regional governors have confirmed the casualties through official channels, highlighting the immediate impact of the renewed violence. In the Kherson region, a 58-year-old woman was killed by a drone strike in the village of Nezlamne, according to the Kherson Oblast Prosecutor's Office and confirmed by Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Simultaneously, Governor Ivan Fedorov of Zaporizhia reported one death and three injuries resulting from artillery and drone attacks. In Dnipropetrovsk, Governor Oleksandr Hanza stated that a 46-year-old woman was killed and another injured in the Mezhivska community.
The conflict has also extended to the Kharkiv region, where Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that eight people, including two children, were injured in drone attacks on the city and nearby settlements. While Kyiv's General Staff noted 147 battlefield clashes along the front line in the past 24 hours, the focus remains on the civilian toll and the apparent breakdown of the diplomatic pause initiated by US President Donald Trump.
Moscow has responded to these developments by accusing Kyiv of breaching the agreement on a massive scale. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces committed more than 1,000 ceasefire violations since the truce began, citing drone and artillery strikes against troops and civilian targets in Crimea and the Russian regions of Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Rostov, and Krasnodar. The ministry stated that Russian forces responded in kind, shooting down 57 Ukrainian drones and conducting retaliatory strikes.
Tensions remain high even within occupied territories, with Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-installed head of the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region, reporting that two people were injured by Ukrainian shelling in his area. The conflicting attribution of attacks and the rapid escalation of violence suggest that the ceasefire has not succeeded in de-escalating the broader security situation.
