Moscow says Kyiv ‘multiplying’ attacks despite limited truce

Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday Ukraine had increased its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, hitting targets 14 times in the last 24 hours, despite a U.S.-brokered moratorium, a charge Ukraine’s military called “fake” and “disinformation”.

In a statement published on Telegram, the ministry said Ukraine “multiplied the number of unilateral attacks using drones and artillery shells on the energy infrastructure of Russian regions”.

It said the strikes had caused damage in Russia’s Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Voronezh regions, as well as the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk and Kherson, parts of which Russia controls.

Ukraine’s military said that the reports were fake, and that its forces were only striking military targets.

Ukraine’s military has previously said it halted strikes on Russian energy facilities on March 18.

Russia and Ukraine agreed last month to a US proposal for a 30-day moratorium on striking each other’s energy infrastructure. Both sides have since repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal.

The deal was part of a wider diplomatic push by US Trump the conflict.

Russian strike kills 19 in Ukraine town

The death toll from a Russian missile strike in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih has risen to 19, including nine children, regional governor Serhii Lysak said on Saturday. A further 61 people were injured in Friday’s attack, ranging from a 3-month-old baby to elderly residents. Forty remain hospitalised, including two children in critical condition and 17 in serious condition.