Moscow: Russia announced on Tuesday that its forces have resumed the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine following the conclusion of a ceasefire on Monday night.

According to Anadolu Agency, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that Moscow had ‘strictly observed’ the truce that commenced on May 8. However, they accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire 30,383 times during this period.

The Russian Defense Ministry’s statement, published on Russian social media platform Max, alleged that the Ukrainian armed forces conducted strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery against Russian troop positions. The ministry further claimed that Ukraine launched 5,825 drones on Monday, prompting Russia to ‘respond in kind.’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy countered these claims, stating that Russia had launched over 200 drones overnight. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of choosing to end the partial ceasefire, asserting, “We have said that we will respond in kind to all Russian steps,” in a post on the US social media company X.

The ongoing conflict makes it challenging to independently verify these claims. The three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was proposed by US President Donald Trump, expiring at 2100GMT on Monday. Trump announced on Friday that Moscow and Kyiv had agreed to a truce from May 9-11, accompanied by a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, describing it as a potential step toward ending the war.

Prior to Trump’s proposal, Moscow had declared a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 to commemorate the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, warning Ukraine of a ‘massive’ missile response if Victory Day celebrations were disrupted. Kyiv subsequently declared its own ceasefire beginning May 6.