Russia bombards eastern Ukraine as self-proclaimed Christmas ceasefire comes to an end

Vladimir Putin ordered a 36-hour ceasefire last Friday, which Ukraine rejected

Russian troops bombarded eastern Ukraine early on Sunday, bringing an end to the 36-hour unilateral ceasefire that Vladimir Putin ordered around Orthodox Christmas.

Ukrainian officials say nobody died in missile attacks Russia claims killed 600 troops. The Russian defence ministry said missiles hit two temporary bases housing 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers in Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region.

The strikes were retaliation for Ukraine's attack in Makiivka, which left at least 89 Russian troops dead, ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said. But Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine's forces in the east, said the strikes on Kramatorsk only damaged civilian infrastructure, adding: “The armed forces of Ukraine weren’t affected.”