Russia and Ukraine traded accusations over overnight strikes on Tuesday, as renewed fighting following the end of a local truce dashed hopes of progress towards peace in the nearly five-year war.
Russian attacks killed at least 29 people in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, while dozens were wounded in strikes across the country, forcing patients to evacuate a medical facility and triggering ballistic missile alerts.
Zaporizhzhia regional military administration head Ivan Fedorov accused Moscow of “striking people who had come to receive humanitarian aid”. Acting regional governor Mykhailo Semikin said two rescue workers and four police officers were among the dead.
In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, regional governor Oleg Synegubov said more than 62 people were injured in a Russian strike on a medical facility. A total of 226 patients were evacuated, while buildings, windows and 10 cars were damaged.
Ukraine warned of ballistic missiles heading towards Kharkiv, Kiev, Dnipro and Sumy. Dnipropetrovsk Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said strikes hit critical infrastructure in Dnipro and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvy Rig, wounding five people, two critically.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defences downed nearly 500 drones heading towards the capital region. Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed it had intercepted 856 Ukrainian drones over 14 regions, the Black Sea and occupied Crimea.
In Russia’s Yaroslavl region, Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said two oil refinery employees were injured by shrapnel after Ukrainian drones targeted the facility. He said 124 drones were intercepted and debris damaged homes, apartment buildings and vehicles.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said it carried out “massive” overnight strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities in Vinnytsia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kharkiv regions, as well as port infrastructure in Odessa.
Truce ends as diplomatic efforts continue
The attacks followed a rare pause in fighting in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, which ended on Sunday. The truce, the longest in Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine since it began in February 2022, enabled a humanitarian mission to the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
Hours after the ceasefire ended, Russia reportedly targeted a village in Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine said Moscow had rejected its offer to extend the truce and accused Russian forces of using the pause to fortify their positions.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that using ceasefires to regroup was “a completely normal practice”, adding that the Ukrainian army had done the same in the past. He described the Oleshky mission as successful and praised cooperation between the sides, but said no similar missions were planned “at the moment”.
The strikes came as US special envoy Steve Witkoff said Washington-led talks between Russia and Ukraine were set to resume next week. US President Donald Trump has pushed for a settlement, but efforts have yet to produce a breakthrough.
Britain and France also announced that around 2,800 troops from 10 European countries would take part in military exercises in Poland this month in support of Ukraine. The new multinational force has no offensive mission and would only be deployed after a ceasefire.
Poland said it had activated air defences to protect its airspace, particularly along its border with Ukraine.
Independent verification of Russian and Ukrainian claims remains difficult amid the ongoing war. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure, saying their strikes are directed at military targets or facilities linked to military activities.
