A US-brokered three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine collapsed on Tuesday as Moscow launched more than 200 attack drones at Ukrainian cities hours after the truce expired, killing at least six people and damaging energy facilities, apartment buildings and a kindergarten. Ukraine responded by striking gas infrastructure deep inside Russia, marking a swift and violent return to the rhythms of the nearly four-year-old war.

The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump and running from 9 to 12 May, had coincided with Russia's Victory Day celebrations — the annual commemoration of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. While both sides accused each other of violations during the pause, no large-scale strikes were recorded until the ceasefire expired. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had offered to extend the truce but Moscow refused. Drones were intercepted across six regions including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv. A 20-storey residential building in Kyiv was struck, a kindergarten and homes were damaged in Fastiv near the capital, and at least six people were killed in the Dnipropetrovsk region in central Ukraine.

In retaliation, Ukraine struck gas facilities in Russia's Orenburg region — a major industrial and energy hub roughly 1,500 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, home to one of the world's largest gasfields. Orenburg's governor said nine Ukrainian drones were repelled, with falling debris damaging a residential building, a school and a kindergarten, though no injuries were reported. Zelenskyy framed the strike as a direct response to Russia's resumption of attacks, saying Ukraine would "act symmetrically." Aviation in central Russia was briefly suspended following the Ukrainian long-range drone activity.

Also on Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin announced a test of what he described as the world's most powerful nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, claiming it could travel more than 35,000 kilometres and penetrate any existing or future missile defence system. Analysts have previously cautioned that Putin tends to exaggerate Russia's military capabilities. Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the "accumulated groundwork" of peace talks meant the end of the conflict was "approaching," a claim Zelenskyy flatly rejected, warning that Ukraine was preparing for further attacks and that Russia showed no intention of stopping the war.

The collapse of the truce underscores the fragility of ceasefire diplomacy. Washington is reportedly working on a follow-on temporary ceasefire that would include partial sanctions relief for Russia, but Ukrainian officials have expressed concern that any such deal lacks the security guarantees Kyiv considers essential for a durable peace. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas argued that Putin's statements reflected weakness rather than strength, saying the situation presented "an opportunity for ending this war." Trump, departing the White House for a trip to China, told reporters he believed the end of the conflict was "getting very close" — a view that for now remains unshared in Kyiv.