Russian attacks in Dnipropetrovsk region kill six after ceasefire expires, officials say
Renewed Violence and Aftermath Following Ceasefire Expiry
May 12 (Reuters) - Russian forces launched attacks in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday, killing at least six people, regional officials said, after the expiry of a U.S.-mediated ceasefire.
Ukrainian officials said Russia launched more than 200 drones overnight, putting an end to hopes that the three-day ceasefire that ended Monday would be extended.
Ukrainian Response and Strikes on Russian Territory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, meanwhile, said his country's forces had struck gas facilities in Russia's central Orenburg region, more than 1,500 km (900 miles) from its borders.
Impact on Civilians in Kryvyi Rih
A drone attack on an apartment building in Zelenskiy's hometown, the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killed two and injured four, including the dead couple's nine-month-old granddaughter, regional governor Oleksandr Hanzha and the head of the military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said on Telegram.
The child's leg was severed.
Zelenskiy, also writing on Telegram, denounced the strike as "cynical and devoid of all military logic".
"After the end of the partial three-day ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians and pressure on it must therefore in no way be weakened," he said.
Further Attacks in the Region
Northeast of Kryvyi Rih, an aerial bomb strike killed four and injured three, Hanzha said.
Military Situation Along the Front
The General Staff of the Ukrainian military, in a late evening bulletin, said 170 combat clashes had been recorded over the past 24 hours along the 1,250-km (775-mile) front.
Key Areas of Conflict
The report said the heaviest fighting had occurred near two key points in Ukrainian defences in the east of the country - the towns of Kostiantynivka and Pokrovsk. Russian forces, it said, had conducted 25 and 24 combat operations respectively.
Background of the Ceasefire
Ukraine and Russia had agreed to the ceasefire linked to the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, part of a U.S.-led push for peace under President Donald Trump after more than four years of war.
Trump said on Friday he hoped the truce would be extended.
Although neither side reported large-scale airstrikes during the ceasefire, both said fighting continued along the front line, accusing each other of drone and artillery attacks.
Defence Against Ballistic Missiles
International Cooperation and Technology Development
Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Kyiv was working with its allies in Europe to develop technologies to defend against ballistic missiles, adding that 13 countries and NATO representatives had participated in talks on the issue on Tuesday.
Escalation and Civilian Infrastructure Damage
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had proposed extending the truce, but Moscow instead escalated by targeting civilian infrastructure with more than 200 drones.
Zelenskiy said drones were intercepted over several regions but reported damage to energy facilities, apartment buildings, a kindergarten and a civilian locomotive.
Incidents in Kyiv and Other Regions
In Kyiv, debris from a downed drone fell on the roof of a 16-storey residential building in the northern Obolon district, sparking a fire, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Two people were hurt in the central Cherkasy region and damage was also recorded in Zhytomyr region, further west, and in Chernihiv region on the Russian border.
Two people were injured in strikes on the southeastern city of Dnipro and the southern city of Kherson. Russian drones also hit energy infrastructure in the Mykolaiv region, causing blackouts in the region, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said.
(Reporting by Anna Pruchnicka; Editing by Daniel Flynn, Ron Popeski, Cynthia Osterman and Daniel Wallis)
