Russian strikes hit Ukraine after ceasefire expires

Russian forces resumed large-scale strikes across Ukraine hours after a three-day ceasefire expired, with regional officials in Dnipropetrovsk reporting at least six people killed. The Guardian’s Ukraine briefing reports more than 200 drones were launched overnight, with damage described to energy facilities, residential buildings and other civilian sites.

The end of the pause exposes how quickly “ceasefire” language can become a scheduling device rather than a constraint. A short halt offers both sides a chance to reposition, repair and restock without having to concede anything publicly, while civilians treat it as a promise that can be withdrawn at will. Ukrainian authorities described attacks ranging from drone strikes to aerial bombs, and said debris from a downed drone caused a fire on the roof of a residential building in Kyiv. Officials also reported blackouts after energy infrastructure was hit in the Mykolaiv region, underscoring how the electricity grid remains a recurring target because it imposes costs on households and municipalities long after the blast.

Kyiv, for its part, said it struck gas facilities in Russia’s Orenburg region, far from the border, presenting long-range attacks as part of a broader attempt to change the war’s economics by forcing Russia to spend more on air defence and repairs. The same logic is visible in Europe’s parallel push to build out ballistic-missile defence: according to the Guardian, 13 countries and NATO representatives held talks on the subject as Ukraine looks for ways to blunt weapons that cannot be cheaply intercepted. Each new layer of defence shifts procurement from ammunition to sensors, interceptors and integration work—items that are expensive, hard to stockpile quickly, and easiest to justify politically after a visible failure.

European officials continue to watch for signals that Moscow might accept a negotiated end-state, but the briefing notes that EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas interpreted Vladimir Putin’s recent comments about the war “heading to an end” as a sign of a weakening position. That kind of reading matters because it influences how long European capitals are willing to finance Ukraine’s air defence and reconstruction while also rearming at home. If the war is framed as nearing an endpoint, budget planners can pretend the bills are temporary; if it is framed as a durable condition, governments have to explain which domestic promises will be deferred.

In Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials reported that a drone hit an apartment building, killing two people and injuring others. The ceasefire ended on Monday; by Tuesday morning, residential roofs were burning again.