Two people were killed in overnight drone strikes in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, ahead of a proposed ceasefire by Russia for Orthodox Easter.
Two others were injured in the attack on the Black Sea port city. Local authorities today said that drones struck a residential area, damaging apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, just hours before the proposed ceasefire was to take effect.
The Russian Defence Ministry, however, said that 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and in occupied Crimea. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, directing forces to halt hostilities from Saturday evening until the end of Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to reciprocate any ceasefire measures. He had earlier proposed a temporary pause in attacks on energy infrastructure during the Orthodox Easter period. Previous ceasefire efforts in the conflict have seen limited success, with both sides accusing each other of violations.