Ceasefire Collapses as Russian Strikes Kill Six; Baby Girl's Leg Severed in Kryvyi Rih

13 May 2026 | Kyiv / Brussels / Moscow / Murcia

KYIV, Ukraine – The three-day silence ended the same way it began: with fire raining from the sky and a nine-month-old girl fighting for her life.

Russian forces launched attacks across Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday, killing at least six civilians, after the expiry of a brief ceasefire. More than 200 drones were launched overnight, putting an end to hopes that the truce would be extended.

In Kryvyi Rih – President Zelenskyy's hometown – a drone struck an apartment building. Two people were killed, including a nine-month-old baby girl whose leg was severed. Four others were injured.

"After the end of the partial three-day ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians," Zelenskyy said. "Pressure on it must therefore in no way be weakened."

"Russia Continues to Kill and Maim": The Toll of a Broken Truce

North-east of Kryvyi Rih, an aerial bomb strike killed four and injured three. In Kyiv, debris from a downed drone fell on the roof of a 16-storey residential building in the northern Obolon district, sparking a fire. Two people were hurt in the central Cherkasy region. Damage was also recorded in the Zhytomyr region, farther west, and in the Chernihiv region on the Russian border.

Two people were injured in strikes on Dnipro and Kherson. Russian drones also hit energy infrastructure in the Mykolaiv region, causing blackouts.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck gas facilities in Russia's central Orenburg region – more than 1,500 kilometres from Ukraine's borders. "Overall, Ukraine's current position on the frontline, in our long-range strikes and in our joint results with our partners are at their highest level in years," he said.

"An Opportunity for Ending the War": Kallas Sees Putin's Weakness

Signs that Vladimir Putin's position is weakening could open a window to ending the war, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Tuesday. Putin over the weekend suggested that the war in Ukraine was "heading to an end" after more than four years of bloodshed.

"What his statement really shows is that he's not in a strong position," Kallas said after a meeting with EU defence ministers. "So I think there's an opportunity for ending this war."

Zelenskyy said Kyiv was working with its allies in Europe to develop technologies to defend against ballistic missiles, adding that 13 countries and NATO representatives had participated in talks on the issue on Tuesday.

Schröder as Mediator? Germany Reacts Cautiously

German officials have reacted cautiously to Putin's surprise suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could act as a mediator in Ukraine war peace talks. Government sources told AFP they had "taken note" of Putin's comments but viewed them as part of "a series of bogus offers" from Russia. One source said a real test of Moscow's intentions would be to extend the current three-day truce.

Former German Chancellor and head of the Nord Stream 2 administrative board Gerhard Schröder waits for the start of a hearing in the Bundestag's Economic Committee on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project in Berlin, Germany.

Schröder, 82, has remained close to Putin long after leaving office, standing apart from most western leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He previously held key roles in Russian energy projects, including work on the Nord Stream gas pipelines and a seat on the board of Russian oil firm Rosneft, which he gave up in 2022.

Michael Roth, a former lawmaker from Germany's Social Democratic party (SPD) and chair of the foreign affairs committee, said a mediator "cannot be Putin's buddy". He stressed that any mediator must above all be accepted by Ukraine. "Neither Moscow nor we can decide that on Kyiv's behalf."

The Ursa Major Mystery: Nuclear Reactors for North Korea?

A Russian cargo ship that suffered a series of mysterious explosions before sinking off the south-east coast of Spain 17 months ago may have been carrying nuclear submarine reactors destined for North Korea, according to reports.

The Ursa Major pictured listing before it sank 62 nautical miles off the coast of Murcia, possibly carrying nuclear reactor components to North Korea.

The Ursa Major, a 142-metre-long, Russian-flagged ship owned by the state-linked Oboronlogistics company, was purportedly sailing from St Petersburg to Vladivostok when it sank 62 nautical miles off the coast of Murcia on 23 December 2024. Crew members told rescuers that there had been three explosions in the ship's engine room.

Spanish attempts to assist were curtailed when a Russian warship arrived, took over operations, and ordered Spanish boats to withdraw. A CNN investigation noted that "four similar seismic signatures... the pattern of which resembled underwater mines or overground quarry blasts" were heard just after flares were fired by the Russian warship.

Under questioning, the captain of the Ursa Major eventually told Spanish investigators that the "manhole covers" onboard his ship were "nuclear reactor components similar to those used by submarines", but that no nuclear fuel was being transported. A source familiar with the investigation told CNN that the Russian captain believed he would be diverted to the North Korean port of Rason to deliver the two reactors.

CNN suggested the sinking of the Ursa Major "may mark a rare and high-stakes intervention by a western military to prevent Russia from sending an upgrade in nuclear technology to a key ally, North Korea."

What Comes Next?

The ceasefire is dead. The drones are flying. The baby girl in Kryvyi Rih is fighting for her life. And in Brussels, European leaders are debating whether Putin's weakening position is a genuine opening for peace – or just another illusion.

"There's an opportunity for ending this war," Kallas said. But after more than four years of bloodshed, opportunities have come and gone. The dead keep piling up. The bombs keep falling. And a nine-month-old infant is learning to live without a leg.

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