Russia resumes its attacks on the Ukrainian Kherson region after the end of the truce

Today, Monday, Russia resumed its attacks on the Ukrainian Kherson region, after the end of a local truce that was the longest in the war between the two countries since 2022.

It was possible to reach a six-day ceasefire in Oleshki and its surrounding areas, after mediation efforts made by US First Lady Melania Trump, and with the participation of Pope Leo, Pope of the Vatican.

The ceasefire ended at midnight Moscow time (21:00 GMT). There were no immediate indications of a resumption of fighting from either side.

The local authorities said in a statement: “At approximately eight o’clock this morning, the Russian occupiers attacked a car with a drone in the Korabelny neighborhood in the city of Kherson,” adding that a 62-year-old woman and a 73-year-old man were injured and taken to the hospital, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.

The Russian Ministry of Defense had said, earlier Monday morning, via Telegram, that the Russian army launched an attack on a military facility in the Odessa region of Ukraine, and hit a cargo ship used for military purposes 58 kilometers south of the coastal city of Odessa. On the Black Sea.

An Odessa official said, in a separate post on Telegram, that a Russian attack resulted in four people being injured.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that his country would stop bombing Russian oil refineries, a major demand of US President Donald Trump, if Washington provided it with Patriot interceptor missiles.

Zelensky explained in an interview with the American Fox News channel on Sunday that he had “many and different conversations” with Trump and his team regarding this issue. He added, "We asked not to stand idly by after the Russian attack on our energy facilities, after Russia killed our people and targeted electricity, gas, refineries, and everything."

He continued, “We told them that if you want us to stop targeting Russian oil refineries, they should not attack our energy system. There is another option, which is to provide us with Patriot missiles, and we will find the necessary funding, instead of just providing aid.” Zelensky said that Kiev would stop its attacks on Russian refineries for a month if Washington supplied it with missiles during the same period.

Trump calls on Moscow and Kiev to stop attacking each other's energy facilities. Patriot missiles are among the most important weapons used by Ukraine to intercept Russian drones and missiles.

When Zelensky was asked if he feared that his request would be seen as an attempt to “pressure” Trump, he answered in the negative and said, “I do not feel any concern when I share the truth with partners.”

On Friday, the Trump administration approved a possible deal to sell Ukraine 500 Patriot missiles, according to the US State Department, but Zelensky warned that receiving the missiles could take years. The Ukrainian authorities had warned for weeks of a decrease in their stock of interceptor missiles.

The Ukrainian president proposed that the United States and its European allies supply his country with missiles from their current stocks, with these quantities to be compensated later through the new deal.