Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday that Russia carried out a large-scale drone campaign overnight, hours after a short-lived truce expired. The strikes came after a May 9-11 ceasefire, negotiated as part of a U.S.-led initiative, ended without extension.
The Ukrainian air force reported that from 6 p.m. on Monday (1500 GMT) Russian forces launched 216 drones, of which 192 were shot down or otherwise neutralised. Officials in Kyiv described the operation as a deliberate escalation following Kyiv's proposal to prolong the partial ceasefire.
"We proposed Moscow to extend the partial ceasefire beyond May 11th. Instead, this night Russia launched over 200 drones against Ukraine, targeting civilian infrastructure, including a kindergarten, injuring at least six and killing at least one person," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X that "Russia itself chose to end the partial silence that had lasted for several days." Both sides had acknowledged that fighting did not fully halt during the truce window, each accusing the other of drone and artillery attacks, but neither reported large-scale airstrikes during the three-day pause.
Officials outlined damage across several regions. Kyiv authorities said debris from a downed drone fell onto the roof of a 16-storey apartment tower in the Obolon district, igniting a fire, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Nearby, regional officials reported that a kindergarten roof was set alight and windows in a four-storey residential block were shattered.
Local governors and officials provided additional details on the toll of the overnight strikes. The Cherkasy region recorded two people injured, while Zhytomyr authorities said residential buildings and cars sustained damage. Northern Chernihiv region was also struck, according to officials.
Critical infrastructure was affected in multiple localities. In the southeastern city of Dnipro, strikes harmed transport infrastructure and injured one person. In the southern city of Kherson, local officials reported a woman wounded by shelling. In the Mykolaiv region, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said Russian drones damaged energy installations, causing blackouts in several settlements.
The ceasefire, agreed for May 9-11 and tied to the anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War Two, had been presented as part of a U.S.-facilitated push for peace. Former U.S. President Donald Trump had said on Friday he hoped the temporary truce would be extended. Ukrainian authorities say they sought an extension, but describe the overnight drone strikes as Moscow's choice to escalate instead.
The attack and the damage it produced highlight persistent vulnerabilities in civilian energy and transport systems, and the risks posed to residential areas and public institutions even during brief pauses in active hostilities.