Six civilians were killed and 40 others injured as Russia launched hundreds of drones and missiles across the country. Major daytime attacks, once rare, have been increasing. The escalation comes as efforts to end the war, led by the United States, have stalled, with Donald Trump and his team shifting focus to the conflict in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Zelensky agreed with a British intelligence assessment that the situation on the frontline in the east was the “most favourable” for Ukraine in 10 months, as the advance of Russian troops appears to have slowed. However, there has been no let-up in the air raids. In the Zhytomyr region, west of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, rescuers searched for survivors beneath the rubble after a whole row of houses was destroyed. In the Kyiv region, a drone was filmed careering toward a block of flats before slamming into its side and starting a fire.

In Kharkiv, in north-eastern Ukraine, a woman was killed and others were critically injured during what the mayor described as “one of the biggest” days of strikes on the city so far. Zelensky described the barrage as Russia’s response to his proposal for a temporary truce over the holidays. Orthodox Christians in both Ukraine and Russia celebrate Easter next weekend.

“The Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation,” he wrote on X. In recent days, Ukraine has launched multiple deep strikes of its own, particularly targeting energy facilities along Russia’s northern coast. One port, in Ust-Luga, has been hit by drones multiple times, forcing Russia to suspend exports.

On Saturday, an adviser to the defence ministry in Kyiv said an industrial plant in Tolyatti which produces rubber products used in military equipment had been struck overnight. Ukraine also reported an attack on a substation in Taganrog, on the Sea of Azov, as well as debris hitting a vessel. (BBC)