Russia and Ukraine maintain hostilities despite extension of truce to the Black Sea

Less than 24 hours after Ukraine and Russia separately agreed with the United States on a Truce in the Black Sea, attacks continue between the two countries. Russia shelled a Ukrainian port in the Black Sea. For Zelenski, it is a sign that Moscow is not seeking "real peace."

The latest reports state that Russia carried out a drone attack on the port of Mykolaiv on Wednesday night, located at the mouth of the Bug River with access to the Black Sea. The offensive took place just hours after both countries agreed, without setting a date, to stop attacking both energy infrastructure and targets in the Black Sea, which should include port facilities.

They have also attacked Krivi Rih, the hometown of the Ukrainian president, Volodymir Zelenski.

Zelensky himself stated on his social media that the night attacks with 117 Russian drones have damaged infrastructure in the Krivy Rog and Sumi regions. They also hit the Dnipro, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions.

Russia affirms that the "truce" is in force

For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for a cease-fire against energy infrastructure in Ukraine is in force and in compliance by the Ukrainian armed forces.

Peskov claims that this truce will last for 30 days and was implemented on March 18, when Putin agreed on the measure with U.S. President Donald Trump, in a phone call.

However, the same spokesman commented that "a number of conditions" must be met before the ceasefire in the Black Sea agreed yesterday with Ukraine and mediated by the US comes into force. Moscow established as a condition for this truce the lifting of several sanctions against Russia, adopted after the launching of its offensive, more than three years ago.

Likewise, in the last hours Putin's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of trying to attack Russian civilian energy infrastructure in three different areas, despite the ceasefire agreed yesterday.

12 Ukrainian servicemen sentenced to up to 23 years in prison

Alongside the "attacks" a Russian military court also handed down long prison sentences to 12 members of the Ukrainian Azov regiment, which led the defense of the city of Mariupol in the first months of the war and is designated as a "terrorist organization" by Russia.

The Ukrainians charged have been sentenced to between 13 and 23 years in prison, Russian state media report.

Volodymyr Zelensky said in a tweet that "launching large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to seek real peace."