Three dead in Russian strikes, Ukrainian officials say, despite ceasefire

May 10 (Reuters) – At least three people were killed in Russian strikes and nearly 150 battlefield clashes took place over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian officials reported on Sunday, ​despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow.

U.S. President ‌Donald Trump said on Friday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to May 11, as a broader peace effort to end the more than four-year-old war has stalled.

One person each in ‌the ​Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions were killed ⁠in Russian drone attacks, regional ⁠governors and police said in separate reports on Sunday.

In the northeastern Kharkiv region, governor Oleh Syniehubov said eight people including two children were wounded in drone strikes on the regional capital ​and nearby settlements.

Seven people including a child were also wounded in the Kherson region in drone or artillery attacks since early ⁠Saturday, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said ⁠on Sunday.

The State Emergencies Service said Russian forces attacked ​one of its rescue vehicles in the Dnipropetrovsk region with a ​drone, wounding a 23-year-old driver.

Kyiv’s air force said Russia had ‌launched 27 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight – a lower number than usual – but that air defences had downed all of them.

In its daily morning report, Ukraine’s General Staff said 147 clashes had taken ⁠place along the front line during the past 24 hours.

Ukrainian officials have not yet publicly commented on any Russian violations of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire, ⁠which was also ‌meant to include a swap of 1,000 prisoners ⁠of war from each side.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said ​on ‌Sunday that Ukraine had violated the ceasefire by ​launching drones ⁠and artillery strikes against its troops. It said Russian forces had shot down 57 Ukrainian drones.

Earlier this week, Russia and Ukraine had each announced separate ceasefires – starting on Friday and Wednesday respectively – but quickly accused one another of breaking them.

(Reporting by Dan PeleschukEditing by Gareth Jones ​and Ros Russell)