Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a nighttime attack, local authorities said on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended.
The attacks also came just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and US officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war, with anticipation building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
US President Donald Trump said last week that negotiations were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side was “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war.
US President Donald Trump said negotiations were ‘coming to a head’ (Alex Brandon/AP) (Alex Brandon/AP)
This came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that the US might soon back away from negotiations altogether if they did not progress.
He spoke in Paris after talks among US, Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress.
A new meeting is expected on Wednesday in London, and Mr Rubio suggested it could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement.
Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight, injuring at least three people, the head of Odesa regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page on Tuesday.
Now, after Easter, the whole world can clearly see the real issue — the real reason why the hostilities continue. Russia is the source of this war. It is from Moscow that a real order must come for the Russian army to cease fire. And if there is no such firm Russian order for… pic.twitter.com/jS9cTiRQqd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 21, 2025
A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror throughout the war.
Russia has stepped up its use of Shahed drones in the past months, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recently published analysis.
After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday, Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks were continuing.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday (Sofia Sandurskaya, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP) (Sofia Sandurskaya/AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.
The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire was in place along the roughly 620-mile (1,000km) front line.
Russia has effectively rejected a US proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the spring/summer military campaign, Ukrainian and western officials say.