More Attacks Coming? Kremlin Says Putin’s Order Not To Hit Ukraine Energy Targets Has ‘Expired’

A month-long moratorium on Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, previously ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has officially come to an end, The Guardian reported on Friday, citing a statement from the Kremlin.

The temporary halt was first announced on March 18, following a phone call between President Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. The agreement was seen as a limited breakthrough in efforts to ease hostilities in the three-year conflict. However, Moscow and Kyiv repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce throughout that duration.

“The month has indeed expired,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing call in response to a question from AFP. “As of this time, there have been no other instructions from the supreme commander-in-chief, President Putin”, Peskov told AFP.

The now-expired moratorium was one of the few concessions secured by Trump in his bid to broker a broader ceasefire. Russian officials had earlier rejected a more comprehensive proposal from the US and Ukraine for a full, unconditional ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded with scepticism, suggesting tjhat Russia had never honoured the commitment. “Despite Putin’s words,” Zelenskyy reportedly said, “Moscow was continuing to strike Ukraine’s energy targets.”

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