The US-mediated moratorium was intended to safeguard crucial infrastructure on both sides of the Ukraine conflict
FILE PHOTO: A power plant in Russia. © Sputnik / Pavel Lisitsin
Ukrainian forces have launched five separate attacks against Russian energy infrastructure in 24 hours, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Friday. The strikes are the latest breach by Kiev of a US-mediated ceasefire on such attacks, the ministry said.
The listed incidents included shelling against elements of the Russian power grid and a drone strike against a transformer station, all causing disruptions in electricity supply, according to the ministry.
A partial ceasefire was announced by Russia on March 18, after President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his US counterpart, Donald Trump. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has publicly supported the idea, but also complained that Russia wouldn’t agree to a full ceasefire. Putin cited difficulties with monitoring violations along the lengthy front line and the potential for Kiev to use the pause for military build-up, explaining his concerns about a full truce. Russia continues to honor the ceasefire on energy strikes despite Ukrainian breaches, the Defense Ministry said on Friday.
The Russian military has reported Ukrainian attacks breaching the moratorium on a daily basis, some of them involving long-range kamikaze drones targeting major energy facilities on Russian soil. The Defense Ministry has described the incidents as demonstrating Kiev’s duplicity.
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The Kremlin has said that while Moscow reserves the right to pull out of the 30-day agreement early, it opts to honor the deal to build goodwill with Washington.
The latest military update comes amid speculation that Trump’s special diplomatic envoy, Steve Witkoff, who is currently visiting Russia, may meet Putin in St. Petersburg later in the day. Witkoff has met with the Russian leader twice already this year, and is closely involved in the attempt to normalize bilateral relations between the two nations.