Ukraine-Russia war live: Easter ceasefire in doubt after four killed in Russian drone strikesnewsline24

Ukraine says at least four people has been killed and 36 injured by Russian drone strikes ahead of the start of today’s Easter ceasefire, Ukrainian authorities have said.

Two people were killed in the southern Odesa region and another killed in the eastern city of Dobropillia.

Another person was killed in Poltava, where a drone struck a shop and a cafe, killing one civilian and wounding another, officials told AFP. Separate strikes in Sumy injured 14 people including a 14-year-old boy and an 87-year-old woman.

Russia launched 160 drones at Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said in its daily update.

The ceasefire marking Orthodox Easter was initially proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky. Russia’s Vladimir Putin has said his forces will cease fire from 4pm on Saturday until the end of Sunday, a span of 32 hours. A similar truce was agreed last year but marred by a number of reported violations.

In Kyiv, Ukrainians told reporters they were sceptical about how well the truce would be observed. “Even today, drones and missiles are still flying,” noted Dmytro Sova, a 42-year-old actor, to AFP. “If they want a ceasefire, then let them start it.”

Russia and Ukraine have carried out a prisoner of war exchange with each side swapping 175 more detainees on Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.

The swap was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, it added.

Russia also returned seven civilians originally from the Kursk region.

Russian drone attacks struck multiple regions across Ukraine overnight, including Sumy and Kharkiv, Ukrainian authorities said.

Emergency services reported fires and damage following the attacks, with crews deployed to affected areas in both regions. Confirmed strikes were also reported in Sumy, where emergency responders were tackling blazes at impact sites.

The attacks formed part of a wider overnight assault in which dozens of drones were launched, according to Ukrainian military data.

The strikes also included an attack on the southern port city of Odesa, where two people were killed hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to take effect.

Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones for the US and its allies in the Middle East after they launched a war against Iran, in a rare disclosure of Kyiv’s involvement in the conflict.

Mr Zelensky said the anti-drone operations were a part of a broader effort to help partners counter similar weapons as those used by Russia in Ukraine.

This marks the first public acknowledgement of Kyiv’s assistance to the US and its allies in the region. It comes days after the US and Iran reached a tentative ceasefire.

Russia has ordered a 32-hour ceasefire from Saturday afternoon to the end of Sunday, saying its forces will halt fighting “in all directions,” but Ukrainians have expressed doubt it will hold.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to reciprocate any genuine pause. Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 128 drones overnight ahead of the proposed truce.

“No one believes in these fairytales anymore,” Kyiv resident Yevgeniy Lamakh told AFP.

Others pointed to continued strikes. “Even today, Shaheds and missiles are flying at Ukraine,” said Dmytro Sova. “Well, come on then, start the ceasefire.”

A similar Easter truce last year was violated hundreds of times, reinforcing scepticism in Kyiv even as some in Moscow expressed hope the move could lead to broader peace talks.

Russia has declared Stanford University an “undesirable organisation,” a designation that bars it from operating in the country and makes any association with it punishable under criminal law.

The justice ministry announced the move on Friday, without providing a reason, according to The Kyiv Independent. The listing also covers Stanford’s Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies.

Under the law, individuals linked to such organisations can face prison terms of up to four years, while those accused of organising related activity risk longer sentences.

The step follows similar action against Tufts University and forms part of a broader campaign targeting foreign academic institutions and other groups viewed as hostile to the Kremlin.

Russia and Ukraine are discussing a possible prisoner exchange over the Orthodox Easter holiday, continuing one of the few areas of cooperation in a war now in its fifth year.

Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova said both sides were working on potential exchanges, which have taken place periodically despite continued fighting.

The discussions came after the two countries agreed to an Easter ceasefire, and as both sides signal limited willingness to engage on humanitarian measures.