MOSCOW: Russian forces struck the city of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine on Friday, the deputy head of Ukraine鈥檚 presidential administration said, after the supposed start of a unilateral Russian cease-fire.
鈥淭he occupiers hit the city with rockets twice,鈥� Kyrylo Tymoshenko said on social media, adding that a residential building had been hit but there were no victims.

A unilateral Russian cease-fire ordered by President Vladimir Putin has come into force along the entire front as of noon Moscow time, Russian state television said.
鈥淎t noon today, the cease-fire regime came into force on the entire contact line,鈥� Russia鈥檚 state First Channel said. 鈥淚t will continue until the end of January 7.鈥�
The impact of Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 order for his forces in Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire was in doubt Friday after Kyiv officials dismissed the move as a ploy but didn鈥檛 clarify whether Ukrainian troops would follow suit.
Moscow also didn鈥檛 say whether it would hit back if Ukraine kept fighting.
The Russian-declared truce in the nearly 11-month war was due to begin at noon Friday and continue through midnight Saturday Moscow time.
Putin鈥檚 announcement Thursday that the Kremlin鈥檚 troops would stop fighting along the 1100 Km front line or elsewhere was unexpected. It came after the Russian Orthodox Church head, Patriarch Kirill, proposed a cease-fire for this weekend鈥檚 Orthodox Christmas holiday. The Orthodox Church, which uses the Julian calendar, celebrates Christmas on Jan. 7.
But Ukrainian and Western officials suspected an ulterior motive in Putin鈥檚 apparent goodwill gesture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky questioned the Kremlin鈥檚 intentions, accusing the Kremlin of planning the fighting pause 鈥渢o continue the war with renewed vigor.鈥�
鈥淣ow they want to use Christmas as a cover to stop the advance of our guys in the (eastern) Donbas (region) for a while and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilized people closer to our positions,鈥� Zelensky said late Thursday.
He did not, however, state outright that Kyiv would ignore Putin鈥檚 request.
US President Joe Biden echoed Zelensky鈥檚 wariness, saying it was 鈥渋nteresting鈥� that Putin was ready to bomb hospitals, nurseries and churches on Christmas and New Year鈥檚.
鈥淚 think (Putin) is trying to find some oxygen,鈥� Biden said, without elaborating.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington had 鈥渓ittle faith in the intentions behind this announcement,鈥� adding that Kremlin officials 鈥漢ave given us no reason to take anything that they offer at face value.鈥�
The truce order seems to be a ploy 鈥渢o rest, refit, regroup, and ultimately re-attack,鈥� he said.
The Institute for the Study of War agreed that the truce could be a ruse allowing Russia to regroup.
鈥淪uch a pause would disproportionately benefit Russian troops and begin to deprive Ukraine of the initiative,鈥� the think tank said late Thursday. 鈥淧utin cannot reasonably expect Ukraine to meet the terms of this suddenly declared cease-fire and may have called for the cease-fire to frame Ukraine as unaccommodating and unwilling to take the necessary steps toward negotiations.鈥�