According to reports on Saturday, there was an exchange of fire along the frontlines of Ukraine despite Moscow’s instruction for its soldiers to maintain a unilateral ceasefire beginning at midday in celebration of the Russian holiday.
Earlier on Friday, artillery rounds were launched near the front lines in the Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Kreminna as well as other places in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian missiles also poured down on residential areas in the cities of Kherson and Kramatorsk prior to the ceasefire beginning at noon Moscow time (09:00 GMT).
According to Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the frontline eastern Ukrainian district of Luhansk, Russian forces bombarded Ukrainian positions 14 times and attacked one hamlet three times in the first three hours of the purported ceasefire, Al Jazeera reported.
Before the deadline earlier on Friday, Russian soldiers struck a fire station in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, killing one rescue worker and injured four others, according to the regional governor.
Earlier on Thursday, Kremlin stated that a 36-hour truce along the whole line of contact between the warring parties in Ukraine was ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin,
