Kiev has launched ten strikes within the past 24 hours, targeting power lines and a gas pipeline, the Defense Ministry has said
The Ukrainian military has targeted power lines and a gas pipeline in several Russian regions, again violating a US-mediated moratorium on such strikes, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has claimed.
Moscow and Kiev agreed to halt attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure for 30 days following a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on March 18.
In a statement on Saturday, the Defense Ministry said that the “Kiev regime continues unilateral attacks on Russian energy infrastructure,” reporting ten such strikes within the past 24 hours alone.
According to officials in Moscow, Ukrainian attacks damaged a power line and a gas conduit in Belgorod Region, with six more instances, mostly involving Ukrainian drones, reported in neighboring Bryansk Region, where power lines and several substations also sustained damage.
On top of that, Ukrainian shelling damaged a power line in the Donetsk People’s Republic and a substation in Kherson Region during the same period.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the “month [of moratorium] has indeed expired,” adding that “as of this moment, there have been no other instructions from the supreme commander-in-chief, President Putin.”
The official stated that Moscow viewed the US-brokered initiative positively and acknowledged “certain progress” despite Kiev’s violations.
”The Russian Federation adhered to this moratorium, which cannot be said about the Ukrainian side,” Peskov told reporters.
Since March 18, the Russian Defense Ministry has on multiple occasions accused Kiev’s forces of violating the partial ceasefire concerning energy infrastructure, while Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has maintained that Kiev’s forces have abided by the moratorium.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter truce effective from 18:00 Moscow time through midnight on April 21.
While he expressed hope that Ukraine would reciprocate, he also said that the “Kiev regime has violated the agreement on pausing energy infrastructure strikes more than a hundred times.”
Putin stated that Ukraine’s reaction to the ceasefire would be a clear indicator of whether Kiev is sincerely willing to engage in negotiations to end the conflict, adding that “[Russian] troops must be prepared to respond to any violations or provocations.”
