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KYIV – In a tragic turn of events, Russian drone attacks claimed the lives of at least two individuals in Odesa, Ukraine, overnight into Saturday. Local authorities confirmed the casualties just before an anticipated ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holiday.
The assault on the strategic Black Sea port city also injured two more residents. The drones targeted a residential area, causing damage to apartment buildings, homes, and a kindergarten, exacerbating the chaos in the area.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched an extensive drone offensive involving 160 drones overnight. Impressively, Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down or intercept 133 of these drones, just hours before the planned Easter ceasefire was set to begin.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that they had successfully neutralized 99 Ukrainian drones throughout Russia and the annexed region of Crimea during the same period.
In a bid to observe Orthodox Easter, Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier declared a 32-hour ceasefire. He instructed Russian troops to cease all military actions from 4 p.m. on Saturday until the end of Sunday, marking a temporary pause in hostilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday Ukraine is ready to mirror any ceasefire steps, having earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.
Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described Putin’s move as a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands — a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.
A possible prisoner exchange over the Easter holiday has also been discussed.
Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova said last week that both sides were working on exchanges of prisoners.
Periodic prisoner exchanges have been one of the few positive outcomes of otherwise fruitless monthslong U.S.-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. The talks have delivered no progress on key issues preventing an end to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, now in its fifth year.
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