Ukraine's cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in

People look at their burnt cars in the residential area following Russia's drone attack in Kyiv. File picture: Efrem Lukatsky/AP

A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect on Thursday morning with skies over Ukraine's major cities quiet, in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.

However, a Ukrainian military spokesman told Reuters that Russian troops had continued to conduct assaults in several areas on the eastern front. The air force said Russian aircraft had launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine three times.