The past 24 hours have witnessed a military escalation on the Russian-Ukrainian front.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that it had repelled intense Ukrainian attacks, confirming the interception and destruction of a total of 133 drones.
The Ministry of Defense's statement explained that 93 of these drones were destroyed overnight over 10 Russian regions, including 19 drones around Moscow. This followed the downing of 40 more drones on Saturday evening.
On the other side, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the total combat losses of Russian forces have reached approximately 1,041,990 personnel, with 1,040 killed or wounded in the past 24 hours alone, according to Ukrinform.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Kiev has proposed to hold a new round of peace talks with Moscow next week.
“The dynamics of the negotiations must improve. We need to do everything possible to achieve a ceasefire,'' Zelensky said.
“A meeting at the leadership level is essential to genuinely secure peace. Ukraine is ready for such a meeting,” he added
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the US Navy would immediately start blockading the Strait of Hormuz, raising the stakes after marathon talks with Iran failed to reach a deal to end the war, jeopardising a fragile two-week ceasefire.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Sunday of breaching the 32-hour ceasefire in their four-year war, reporting more than a thousand drone and shelling attacks just hours after the truce began on Saturday to mark Orthodox Easter.
At least 30 people were killed on Saturday in a stampede at the Laferriere Citadel in the northern countryside of Haiti, authorities said, warning that the death toll could rise.
A cyclone battered New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, cutting power to thousands of residents and forcing hundreds to evacuate, as officials warned conditions would worsen through the day.
Negotiations between the United States and Iran appeared to have concluded for now, Iran's government has announced early on Sunday, after a series of talks in Pakistan to end the six-week war between Washington and Tehran.