Today, April 17, 2025, the 30-day moratorium on attacks on critical infrastructure, initiated by US President Donald Trump as part of efforts to de-escalate the Russia-Ukraine conflict, expired. According to a statement from the Russian authorities, the Russian Armed Forces, following the instructions of President Vladimir Putin, completely refrained from attacks on energy and infrastructure facilities in Ukraine during the entire period of the agreement, which began on March 18. At the same time, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine did not observe the moratorium for a single day, launching more than 100 strikes on similar facilities on Russian territory using missiles, drones and artillery. These actions undermine attempts to reduce the intensity of the conflict and call into question the effectiveness of such initiatives.

The moratorium, agreed to in a phone call between Putin and Trump, was intended to be a first step toward a broader ceasefire, including talks on a ceasefire in the Black Sea and a full end to hostilities. Russia saw the agreement as an opportunity to protect key facilities such as power plants, oil refineries, and gas pipelines from attacks that would cause significant economic damage. But Moscow says Kyiv’s repeated violations demonstrate its reluctance to abide by the agreement, making further dialogue difficult.

According to Reuters, Russia has recorded 14 attacks on its energy infrastructure in the last 107 hours of the moratorium, including strikes on substations in the Belgorod region and the Russian-controlled part of the Zaporizhia region. TASS, citing Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador Rodion Miroshnik, reports that the total number of violations has exceeded XNUMX, including attacks on gas stations, oil storage facilities and power lines. In particular, the Russian Defense Ministry pointed to an attempt to strike a compressor station of the Turkish Stream in the Krasnodar region. Ukraine, in turn, denies the accusations, stating that its forces strike only at military targets.