KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks during the 30-hour Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by President Vladimir Putin over the weekend killed three people in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, a regional official said Monday.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson's administration, wrote on Telegram that the casualties occurred over the last 24 hours, adding that three others were wounded in the region, parts of which are occupied by Russia.
After Putin declared the move on Saturday, Ukraine responded by voicing readiness to reciprocate any genuine ceasefire but said the Russian attacks continued. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia violated the ceasefire more than 2,900 times.
Zelenskyy said that Russian forces carried out 96 assault operations along the front line, shelled Ukrainian positions more than 1,800 times and used hundreds of drones during the course of the ceasefire. “The nature of Ukrainian actions will continue to be mirror-like: we will respond to silence with silence, and our blows will be a defense against Russian blows. Actions always speak louder than words,” he said.
The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, listed 4,900 Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire. It charged that Moscow’s forces “strictly observed the ceasefire and remained at previously occupied lines and positions.”
Speaking Monday, Putin said that the fighting resumed after the ceasefire expired at midnight (2100 GMT). Commenting on Zelenskyy's call for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire or, at least, a halt on strikes on civilian facilities, the Russian leader noted that Kyiv was trying to “seize the initiative," adding that “we must think about it, carefully assess everything and look at the results of the ceasefire.”
The Russian leader has previously made a full ceasefire conditional on halting Western arms supplies to Kyiv and Ukraine's mobilization effort — demands rejected by Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Russia would inform “all the interested parties” about the Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire.
Peskov said that Russia “remains open to searching for a peaceful settlement and is continuing to work with the American side,” adding that “we certainly hope that this work will produce results.”
Asked if there is a proposal from the U.S. that Kyiv recognize Crimea that Moscow annexed in 2014 as part of Russia, President Donald Trump responded that “I will be giving you a full detail over the next three days,” adding that “we had very good meetings on Ukraine, Russia.”
Zelenskyy has firmly ruled out the recognition of any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as Russian.
On Monday, the Ukrainian president spoke to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer ahead of Wednesday's talks between Ukrainian, British, French and U.S. officials in London.
“We are ready to move forward as constructively as possible, just as we have done before, to achieve an unconditional ceasefire, followed by the establishment of a real and lasting peace,” Zelenskyy said on X. “An unconditional ceasefire must be the first step toward peace, and this Easter made it clear that it is Russia’s actions that are prolonging the war.”
Overnight into Monday, the Russian forces fired three missiles at Ukraine's southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, as well as 96 Shahed drones targeting other parts of the country, Ukraine's Air Force reported. It said it downed 42 drones, while 47 others were jammed mid-flight.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drones sparked a fire at an “outbuilding” and a “food enterprise,” regional administration head Serhii Lysak wrote on Telegram. No one was injured in the attack, he said. An unspecified infrastructure object was damaged in the Cherkasy region overnight, regional head Ihor Taburets said on Telegram.
Four civilians also sustained injuries in the partially occupied Donetsk region, according to regional head Vadym Filashkin, who said that the Russian forces shelled settlements in the region five times over the last 24 hours.
Chris Megerian contributed to this report from Washington.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a ceremony for the Sluzhenie All-Russian Municipal Service Awards at the Russia National Center in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking during a ceremony for the Sluzhenie All-Russian Municipal Service Awards at the Russia National Center in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 21, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Nearly four months after wildfires reduced thousands of Los Angeles-area homes to rubble and ash, some residents are starting to rebuild.
In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, construction workers recently began placing wooden beams to frame a house on a lot where only a charred fireplace remains standing. In the seaside city of Malibu and foothills neighborhood of Altadena, many land parcels where homes once stood are being cleared of debris.
Hundreds of homeowners have sought city or county approval for new home designs and other permits to eventually rebuild or repair damaged homes, though few have gotten the green light to break ground.
Some 17,000 homes, businesses and other structures burned to the ground in the Jan. 7 fires. It's uncertain how much will be rebuilt.
Many homeowners will not be able to afford it, even those with insurance. Some are still trying to figure out whether it’s safe to return to their properties, given limited data on the degree to which toxins from the fires, including lead and asbestos, may have permeated their land. Roughly 400 land parcels are already for sale in the fire-ravaged areas.
Facing overwhelming loss and the chaos that comes with sudden displacement, those looking to rebuild must navigate an often confusing and time-consuming process. In most cases, it will take years for them to rebuild.
LA issued its first building permit nearly two months after the fires started. It took more than seven months before the first building permit was issued following the Woolsey Fire in 2018.
“Putting this in context of other disasters, the speed is actually probably faster than expected,” said Sara McTarnaghan, a researcher at the Urban Institute who studied the aftermath of urban wildfires in recent years in Colorado, Hawaii and California.
Kathryn Frazier, a music publicist and life coach, had lived in her four-bedroom, three-bath house in Altadena for 10 years and raised her two children there. After her home burned to the ground, she was in shock and questioned whether it made sense to come back.
But after conversations with neighbors, she became determined to rebuild.
"I’m not leaving," Frazier said. "That’s what kept coming up for everybody, and the more we all talked to each other the more we were all like ‘hell yes.’”
She is making progress. Frazier hired a crew to clear the property of debris and she is nearly through the first phase of permitting, which involves getting county review and approval for her new home's design. The next phase before receiving approval to begin construction includes reviews of electrical, plumbing and other aspects of the design.
Frazier, 55, is rebuilding her home without major changes to its size or location in order to qualify for an expedited building permit approval process.
“We are hoping to be building by June or July, latest,” she said. “I’ve been told that maybe by February or March of 2026 we could be back in our home."
For now, Frazier is getting quotes on windows, skylights and other home fixtures in hopes of locking in prices before they go up as more construction projects ramp up, or in response to the Trump administration's ongoing trade war.
“I’m doing things like scouring Home Depot, finding slate tiles that look modern and beautiful, but they’re actually really cheap," she said.
DeAnn Heline, a TV showrunner, knows what it’s like to build her dream house from the ground up.
She waited more than two years for construction to be completed on the five-bedroom, eight-bath home with ocean views. Once the project was done, her husband vowed to never build another house. The family lived there for six years before it was destroyed in the Palisades Fire.
“It was ash. There was nothing,” Heline said.
The couple, who have two daughters, have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years. They couldn’t imagine giving up and not rebuilding.
“Not only are we building another house, we’re building the exact same house again,” Heline said, noting the new home will have some upgrades including fire-resistant materials and sprinklers for the exterior of the house.
Recently, they cleared debris from the land where the house once stood, a particularly onerous task because the home featured a large basement into which much of the structure collapsed as it burned.
Heline isn't sure when construction will begin, but figures it could be two or three years. She wonders, however, what the neighborhood will look like by then.
“What are you going back to? You’re going back to a moonscape? Are you there and no one else is on your block, or are you going back to a construction zone for many more years?" she said.
The Eaton wildfire destroyed many of the more than 270 historic Janes Cottages in Altadena, including the three-bedroom home Tim Vordtriede shared with his wife and two young children.
The family had only lived in the roughly 100-year-old house for three years.
“We just loved the storybook cottage and the vibe, and of course the grander vibe of Altadena,” he said. “It was perfect.”
Vordtriede, 44, has decided to rebuild, but not just yet. For now, he is using his experience as a construction project manager to help others who also lost their homes.
He co-founded Altadena Collective, a group providing assistance with home designs and guidance on how to navigate the complex and lengthy approval process for rebuilding permits. Of the roughly two dozen clients that the group is serving, at reduced cost, three are in the early stages of the permitting process.
Even after projects reach shovel-ready status, homeowners will have to wait perhaps more than a year before they can move in, he said.
“My first statement when anyone walks in the door is: We’re not here to help you design your dream home,” Vordtriede said. “This isn’t a dream time. This is a nightmare, and our job is to get you out of the nightmare as soon as possible.”
Tim Vordtriede holds white roses at the gate of his property, which was destroyed the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Kathryn Frazier looks at property, which was destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Tim Vordtriede looks at the remains of his property, which was destroyed the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Construction workers install new roofing in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Crews remove debris from a home destroyed by the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes
Pacific Palisades property owner DeAnn Heline stands in front of her home being rebuilt after the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades section of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Cal/OSHA workers remove hazardous materials from a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Workers rebuild a property destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A worker stands atop a home being rebuilt after the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Cal/OSHA workers remove hazardous materials from a home destroyed by the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Kathryn Frazier visits her fire-damaged property, which she plans to rebuild, in Altadena, Calif., on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Construction begins in the Palisades Fire devastation zone in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
