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A firefighter works near a building on fire following drone attacks by Russian forces, at a location given as Odesa, Ukraine, April 21, 2025. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Odesa region via Reuters
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Russian drones battered the Ukrainian port city of Odesa in a night-time attack, local authorities said Tuesday (April 22, 2025), less than 24 hours after a purported Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Moscow ended and just over a day before Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials are due to meet in London to discuss the war.
Anticipation is building over whether diplomatic efforts can stop more than three years of fighting since Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
Mr. Trump said last week negotiations were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding war.
This came after Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week the U.S. might soon back away from negotiations altogether if they don’t progress. He spoke in Paris after talks among U.S., Ukrainian and European officials produced outlines for steps toward peace and appeared to make some long-awaited progress.
A new meeting is expected on Wednesday (April 23, 2025) in London, and Mr. Rubio suggested it could be decisive in determining whether the Trump administration continues its involvement.
Odesa came under a “massive attack” by Russian drones overnight, injuring at least three people, the head of Odesa regional administration, Oleh Kiper, wrote on his Telegram page Tuesday (April 22, 2025).
A residential building in a densely populated urban area, civilian infrastructure and an educational facility were hit, he said.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 54 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine overnight, marking a resumption of long-range attacks that have blasted civilian areas and sown terror throughout the war.
Russia has stepped up in the past months its use of Shahed drones, expanding its production of the weapon and refining its tactics, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a recently published analysis.
After Mr. Putin declared a unilateral ceasefire on Saturday (April 19, 2025), Ukraine said it was ready to reciprocate but said Russian attacks were continuing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.
The Associated Press was unable to verify whether a ceasefire was in place along the roughly 1,000-kilometer front line.
Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the spring-summer military campaign, Ukrainian and Western officials say.
Published – April 22, 2025 04:11 pm IST
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Russian drones batter Ukraine’s Odesa as peace talks come to crux
