Russia, Ukraine trade accusations of infrastructure attacks after Putin-Trump call

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 6:04 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Russia and Ukraine accused each different connected Wednesday of launching aerial attacks that sparked fires and damaged infrastructure conscionable hours aft their leaders agreed to a constricted ceasefire to halt attacks connected vigor infrastructure.

Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to temporarily halt attacking Ukrainian vigor facilities but declined to endorse a afloat 30-day ceasefire sought by U.S. President Donald Trump successful a telephone telephone with the Russian person connected Tuesday.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had agreed to the U.S. projected 30-day ceasefire earlier the Putin-Trump telephone and aboriginal supported the much constricted ceasefire connected vigor targets.

But aft Russia launched its aerial attacks aboriginal Wednesday, Zelenskyy urged the satellite to artifact immoderate attempts by Moscow to resistance retired the war.

"Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure and radical — close now," Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's main of staff, said overnight connected Telegram.

Regional authorities successful Sumy successful northeast Ukraine said that Russia's drone attacks damaged 2 hospitals there, causing nary injuries but forcing the evacuation of patients and infirmary staff.

A 60-year-old antheral was injured and respective houses damaged successful a Russian drone onslaught connected the Kyiv portion that surrounds the Ukrainian capital, Mykola Kalashnyk, politician of the region, said aboriginal connected Wednesday.

Zelenskyy said that Russia launched much than 40 drones against Ukraine successful the hours pursuing the telephone betwixt Trump and Putin.

Russian forces besides attacked the powerfulness strategy of Ukraine's authorities railway web successful Dnipropetrovsk portion with drones connected Wednesday morning, the institution said.

"There are de-energized sections, but trains proceed to tally arsenic scheduled," Ukrzaliznytsia, the state-owned railway, wrote connected Telegram.

WATCH | Agreement on 30-day ceasefire connected vigor infrastructure reached after phone call: 

Ukrainian subject said connected Wednesday its aerial defence units changeable down 72 of 145 drones launched by Russia successful overnight attacks. It added that 56 drones were lost, successful notation to the Ukrainian subject utilizing physics warfare to redirect them.

"The Russian onslaught affected Sumy, Odesa, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv and Chernihiv regions," the subject said connected Telegram.

Russia's defence ministry said that its units destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones overnight, 35 of them implicit the borderline Kursk region. The ministry reports lone however galore drones were destroyed not however galore were launched by Ukraine.

Authorities successful the confederate Russian portion of Krasnodar said aboriginal connected Wednesday that a Ukrainian drone onslaught sparked a tiny occurrence astatine an lipid depot located adjacent the colony of Kavkazskaya.

No 1 was injured successful the fire, which dispersed crossed 20 quadrate metres (215 quadrate feet), but 30 employees were evacuated, the medication of the confederate Russian portion said successful a station connected the Telegram messaging app.

"The enactment astatine the installation has been suspended," the medication said.

The Russian SHOT quality Telegram posted a video of blazes astatine nighttime astatine what seemed similar an concern area.

SHOT said the Kavkazskaya lipid transshipment constituent is an important installation designed to transport Russian lipid for exports railway and into the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline system.

Reuters could not independently verify the SHOT report.

Russia's aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said that it was suspending flights from airports Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Nizhnekamsk, Russia, each hundreds kilometres eastbound of Moscow, to "ensure aerial safety."

The bureau did not accidental what was the crushed for the suspension, but it usually suspends flights erstwhile determination are reports of drone attacks.