Russia says forces continue Ukraine operations after ceasefire expires

Russia said Tuesday its forces have continued the "special military operation" in Ukraine following the end of a ceasefire Monday night. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed Moscow had "strictly observed" the truce beginning May 8 while accusing Ukraine of committing 30,383 ceasefire violations.

Conflicting claims

"Despite the declared ceasefire, Ukrainian armed forces carried out strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles and fired artillery at Russian troop positions," said the statement published on Russian social media Max. The ministry also claimed that Ukraine launched 5,825 drones on Monday, adding that Russia "responded in kind."

Zelenskyy's response

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed Russia launched more than 200 drones overnight, accusing Moscow of choosing "to end the partial ceasefire." "We have said that we will respond in kind to all Russian steps," Zelenskyy wrote on X. Independent verification of the claims remains difficult due to the ongoing war.

Ceasefire context

A three-day Russia-Ukraine ceasefire proposed by President Trump expired at 2100GMT Monday. Trump had said Moscow and Kyiv agreed to a truce from May 9-11 along with a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange. Before Trump's proposal, Moscow announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 to mark Victory Day, with Kyiv later saying it would observe a ceasefire beginning May 6.