‘Tasks Set By Putin Will Still Be Fulfilled’: Moscow Ends Self-proclaimed Ceasefire, Vows To Continue Fight

The shelling from Russia claimed the life of a 50-year-old man in northeastern Kharkiv, said Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the region.

Russia's overnight bombing of regions in eastern Ukraine killed at least one ( Image Source :AFP )

After Moscow ended its self-declared Christmas ceasefire, Russia's overnight bombing of regions in eastern Ukraine killed at least one, according to local officials reported news agency Reuters.

Russia has vowed to escalate the war until it reaches a victory over its neighbour. President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered a 36-hour ceasefire along the line of contact for observing Russia and Ukraine's Orthodox Christmas on Saturday. However, Ukraine rejected the truce as shelling continued along the frontline.

The shelling from Russia claimed the life of a 50-year-old man in northeastern Kharkiv, said Oleh Sinehubov, the governor of the region.

Most Ukrainian Orthodox Christians traditionally celebrate Christmas on January 7 similar to the Orthodox Christians in Russia. But this year, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the country's largest, allowed for a December 25 celebration. Even then several people observed the holiday on Saturday visiting churches and cathedrals.

The Kremlin said Moscow will continue to move ahead with what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine and which Kyiv and its Western allies have termed as unprovoked aggression to grab land.

"The tasks set by the president (Putin) for the special military operation will still be fulfilled," the Russian state TASS agency quoted Putin's first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, as saying. "And there definitely will be a victory."

The war, which has entered its 11th month, leaving thousands killed and displacing millions, and turning Ukrainian cities into rubble does not seem to end soon.

Ukrainian officials also reported blasts in regions that make up the broader Donbas region - the war's frontline where fighting has been raging for months.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region in Ukraine, said that there were nine missile strikes on the region overnight, including seven on the battered city of Kramatorsk. According to preliminary information, there were no casualties.