Russia claims strikes on Ukrainian military in Kursk region, Ukraine says repelling dozens of Russian attacks

Russia said on Monday that Russian forces continue to strike Ukraine military units in Russia's Kursk region, while Ukraine said that its forces repelled dozens of Russian attacks.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing that its armed forces continued their special military operation on Monday.

According to the ministry, after the expiration of the 30-hour Easter truce at midnight on Sunday into Monday local time (2100 GMT on Sunday), the Units of the North military group continued to strike Ukrainian military units in Russia's Kursk region, destroying several military vehicles and artillery pieces.

The ministry said that its air defenses shot down over 100 Ukrainian drones on Monday, adding that between 09:10 and 09:30 local time (06:10 to 06:30 GMT), air defenses downed Ukrainian drones over Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions.

The Ukrainian Air Force on Monday reported that Russian forces launched one anti-ship cruise missile, two anti-radar missiles and 96 attack drones in the early hours of the day. By 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT), Ukrainian air defense forces had shot down 42 drones across the eastern, northern and central regions.

Ukrainian authorities said that the Russian attacks impacted the regions of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Cherkasy.

A battlefield report released by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at 08:00 on Monday indicated that 96 clashes occurred in frontline areas over the past 24 hours.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the now-expired Easter truce.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday that during the truce period, Russian forces strictly adhered to the ceasefire, while Ukrainian forces launched six attacks in various directions, including Donetsk and Kursk, all of which were repelled.

Ukrainian forces carried out a total of 1,404 artillery strikes and 3,316 drone attacks on Russian positions, with Russian forces recording about 4,900 instances of Ukrainian violations of the truce, Russia's defense ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in the early hours of Monday that Russian forces had violated the truce a total of 2,935 times on Sunday, including 96 assault attempts and 1,882 artillery strikes, with the most intense activity observed in the Pokrovsk region.

The Ukrainian president also said that Russia had not responded either to Ukraine's proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire after Easter, or to the proposal for at least extending the truce in the sky that would see an end to missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure.

Russia claims strikes on Ukrainian military in Kursk region, Ukraine says repelling dozens of Russian attacks

Voting for the second phase of Myanmar's multi-party democratic general election concluded on Sunday afternoon.

Voting began at 06:00 local time on Sunday. At 16:00, an election official at a polling station in Yangon's Latha township announced the closure of the polling station.

Following the closure, election staff at the polling station, in the presence of domestic and international media, candidates, and observers, counted the votes, including advance votes, for seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House), Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House), and State and Region Hluttaws (State and Region Parliaments).

The second phase of the election was held in 100 townships across 12 of the 14 regions and states. In the Yangon region, it was held in 16 townships, including the townships of Latha, Bahan, Kyimyindaing and Kawhmu.

"We welcome the election, which is expected to bring new changes to the country," said a Yangon resident.

"I hope the parties can lead us and make it a better country, which is why I support the election," said another voter.

Myanmar's multi-party democratic general election is being held in three phases, with the first phase held in 102 townships on Dec 28 last year, and the third phase scheduled for Jan 25 this year in 63 townships.

"The parliament is scheduled to convene in March. Following the conclusion of the session, the new government will officially take office in April. We hope that more foreign investment will flow into Myanmar, enabling the public to enjoy the opportunities generated by the country's economic development more fully," said Zaw Min Tun, leader of the Information Team of Myanmar's National Defense and Security Council.

The Union Election Commission (UEC) said that about 5,000 candidates from 57 political parties are competing in the three phases of the election, adding that it plans to set up over 21,000 polling stations across the country for all three phases of the general election.

The election will produce the elected members of the Union Parliament (Pyithu Hluttaw and Amyotha Hluttaw) and State and Region Parliaments; the new Union Parliament will then elect a new president, who will form a new Union Government.

Voting for 2nd phase of Myanmar's general election concludes