What Ramadan has been like this year in Gaza

A family breaks their fast in Gaza City, Gaza on March 10, 2025.

Anas Baba/NPR

Eid al-fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, was once eagerly awaited in Gaza, a rare occasion that brought a sense of joy and normalcy. Its preparations began days in advance — homes were cleaned, a fresh touch of decoration was added and families made sure everything was in place for the celebration. Parents saved up to buy new clothes for their children, knowing how much it meant to them to dress well on Eid.

The streets stayed lively late into the night, filled with people shopping for last-minute essentials. Bakeries worked tirelessly, filling the air with the scent of ka’ak, the traditional date-stuffed cookies, alongside trays of chocolate and vanilla biscuits — simple treats that would soon be shared over coffee with guests. Shops displayed an array of high-quality chocolates, candies, halkom (Turkish delight) and roasted nuts, small luxuries that made Eid feel complete.

On the first morning of Eid, we would wake up early, dress in our best clothes and make our way to the mosque for the Eid prayer. There, we exchanged greetings, smiles and handshakes, a heartfelt tradition that carried deep meaning, reminding us that Eid is about togetherness. The takbirat, the chants of “Allahu Akbar” recited on Eid, filled the air, creating a familiar rhythm that made the day feel different, wrapped in a quiet sense of spiritual peace.

After the Eid prayer, we would head home to prepare breakfast. Breakfast was always special, made exclusively for Eid al-Fitr. It included fesikh — a fermented, salted and dried fish with a bold, briny flavor — along with salad dressed in tahini sauce and tomatoes fried in olive oil.

People in Gaza eagerly awaited Eid al-Fitr, especially for this breakfast, rich with diverse flavors. What made this breakfast even more special was the gathering of families around the table, where we would laugh, share stories and savor every bite together.

For the first week of Ramadan, Palestinians gathered together in Gaza to mark the holy month of Ramadan with a respite from war, during a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Anas Baba/NPR

It is 2 a.m. and three young men walk through the rubble of a neighborhood destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, beating a drum and singing Muslim chants.

They're loud, and that's the point. They are waking people up, reminding them to eat before another day of fasting begins at dawn, during the holy month of Ramadan.

This year, those observing Ramadan in Gaza are also following the sounds of Israeli airstrikes, warplanes and drones.

In the second week of Ramadan, in early March, Israel broke a brief ceasefire and resumed war in Gaza. The Israeli government said it was to pressure Hamas to release Israeli hostages.

Recent Israeli airstrikes have killed nearly 1,000 people, including hundreds of children, according to Gaza health officials. Palestinians have evacuated their neighborhoods by order of the Israeli military.

Hope that the war might end has been shattered, as Ramadan comes to a close this weekend.

"This is psychological warfare," says Issam Zakkout, who does not know whether to flee his home or stay.

Food supplies are scarce because of an Israeli blockade

This Ramadan, people in Gaza are struggling to find food.

Israel allowed humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza during the brief ceasefire in January and February. But for the past month, it has imposed a blockade on Gaza, barring the entry of all aid, even food.

Israel says it's to pressure Hamas. Rights groups say it's collective punishment to civilians.

Aid groups are now rationing supplies. The United Nations is pulling some of its staff out of Gaza.

At one community kitchen, hungry and tired people wait in a long line for a meal of beans to break their Ramadan fast.

Before the war, Fouad Nassar would break his fast with chicken, fish and kebabs.

"Every day we had proper meals. We didn't need anyone's help. Now, why am I standing two hours in line for a plate from the charity kitchen?" Nassar said.

A meal is prepared amongst the ruins of Gaza City, Gaza on March 9, 2025.

Anas Baba/NPR

Making pizza inside a gutted microwave

Atop piles of concrete debris of her destroyed apartment building, Rana al-Abadi cooks for iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during Ramadan.

Before the war, Palestinian dishes of spiced chicken, rice and vegetables were served every night of Ramadan. Now she makes pizza with canned mushrooms, canned corn, canned sauce and canned cheese.

She removed a microwave's insides, and turned it into an oven, lighting a fire using foam from bed mattresses her husband collected from under rubble around their neighborhood.

Burnt foam sticks to the dough of the pizza her children will eat. She has no other choice.

"Before, Ramadan was full of variety, colors and flavors. Now, we barely have anything," she says.

One week of celebration was dashed by the return to war

At the beginning of the holy month, some families gathered outdoors for free Ramadan meals, organized by an Egyptian charity.

Now, daily Israeli airstrikes make it too dangerous to gather that way. In war, there is nothing to celebrate.

But for just one week this Ramadan, families were able to gather, after months of displacement, at long tables, among mounds of smashed concrete and strings of battery-powered lights.

Palestinian children walk through the rubble of Gaza City, Gaza on March 6, 2025.

Anas Baba/NPR

Families that had lost so much in the war could enjoy relaxed quality time together, like a family reunion, eating a Ramadan meal without war.

Gaza mothers bring joy to children ahead of Eid al-Fitr despite war

Inside a shelter in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, Palestinian women are preparing Kaak, traditional Eid cookies, in hopes of lifting their children’s spirits, despite the ongoing Israeli military offensive that resumed on March 18, 2025.

Amid deep grief, destruction, and the loss of homes and loved ones, the women are working to provide their children with even the smallest moments of joy, trying to shield them from the hardship caused by Israel’s continued closure of border crossings.

Palestinian women displaced from northern Gaza make traditional cookies for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday in Gaza City, on March 28, 2025.

This year, Eid al-Fitr, a festival of breaking the fast at the end of the holy month of Ramadan, arrives in Gaza under severe humanitarian and economic strain, as Israeli attacks intensify.

Eid al-Fitr is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha.

Since March 2, 2025, Israel has enforced a full blockade on the Gaza Strip by shutting all crossings and preventing the entry of humanitarian, medical, and relief aid.

Markets are nearly empty, and the cost of remaining goods has surged, making it nearly impossible for Palestinians, impoverished by the war, to meet basic needs.

Last week, the Gaza Government Media Office said the territory has entered the first phase of famine due to the continued blockade and the obstruction of life-saving aid.

Determination to live

In a display of resilience, Kawthar Hussein sits beside an earthen oven in the corner of the shelter, trying to ignite a fire to bake Eid cookies while Israeli artillery shells nearby areas of the Gaza Strip.

With no access to cooking gas because of the blockade, the women are using cardboard and wood to cook, a process that is both time-consuming and exhausting.

Ignoring the smoke, Hussein carefully places cookies on trays to begin baking.

She said: "The atmosphere here is very sad. We have lost many relatives and loved ones, and we are suffering from a major humanitarian crisis."

“We are a people who love life. We don't want our children to live in deprivation. We try to provide them with everything we can, even if it's little,” she told Anadolu.

Before the war, she would prepare about 9 kilograms (19.8 pounds) of cookies during Eid. This year, she is making only one kilogram (2.2 pounds), hoping to bring some comfort to children affected by the war.

Although grief surrounds them, she believes celebrating Eid remains one of "God’s rituals that should be revived."

Joy amid war

Umm Mohammed, another Palestinian woman, is also trying to give her children and grandchildren a sense of Eid by making cookies for them.

She told Anadolu: "We managed to make a little bit of cookies to compensate the children for what they have lost from the Eid rituals during the genocide."

“Sadness surrounds the children. We try to make them happy by giving them one cookie each, and that is all we can provide,” she added.

On March 18, the Israeli army launched a surprise aerial attack on Gaza, killing 896 people and injuring nearly 2,000, effectively ending the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement.

Since October 2023, Israeli attacks have killed more than 50,200 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and injured over 114,000, according to health authorities.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.

Jay Idzes Kapten Timnas Indonesia Yang Jadi Incaran 4 Klub Serie A Italia

Kapten Timnas Indonesia Jay Idzes memiliki tekad besar untuk membuat nama Indonesia lebih dikenal di dunia sepak bola. Bermain sebagai bek di klub Venezia, Jay Idzes, meyakini bahwa hanya soal waktu bagi tim Garuda untuk lolos ke Piala Dunia.

“Kapan kami akan ke Piala Dunia, itu hanya masalah waktu. Saya percaya itu akan membawa banyak kegembiraan,” kata Idzes dikutip dari wawancara di Youtube akun resmi Liga Italia, Sabtu.

Idzes kemudian menceritakan impiannya bertahap seiring waktu demi waktu.

Ia menjelaskan awalnya hanya ingin menjadi pesepak bola profesional, dan kemudian bermain di Liga Belanda, sebelum kemudian bermimpi main di Liga Italia.

“Saya merasa sebagaimana manusia, kita selalu menginginkan lebih, lebih, lebih. Namun menurut saya jika kami mampu atau saat kami sukses bersama Indonesia untuk melaju ke Piala Dunia, itu akan menjadi salah satu pencapaian terbesar dalam hidup saya,” kata pemain 24 tahun itu.

Pada pertengahan musim, Idzes mengukir sejarah dengan menjadi pemain Indonesia pertama yang mencetak gol di Liga Italia. Gol itu semakin istimewa karena gawang yang dibobol oleh Idzes adalah gawang Juventus, yang notabene merupakan salah satu tim raksasa Liga Italia.

Sepak bola adalah olahraga nomor satu di Indonesia. Namun untuk urusan prestasi, Indonesia terbilang masih jauh dari level dunia.

Jay Idzes adalah salah satu sosok yang bisa membuat nama Indonesia lebih dikenal di dunia sepak bola. Di musim ini, Jay Idzes sudah mencatat sejarah sebagai pemain Indonesia pertama yang berlaga di Serie A. Selain itu, Jay Idzes kemudian mengukir rekor sebagai pemain Indonesia yang mencetak gol di Serie A.

"Pada awal musim, saya adalah pemain Indonesia pertama yang bermain di Serie A. Dan saya juga pemain pertama yang mencetak gol. Jadi ini adalah momen yang sangat membanggakan bagi saya dan juga bagi negara saya."

"Hal itu menunjukkan bahwa kami bisa berkembang, dan saya ingin menempatkan Indonesia dalam peta [lebih dikenal luas di dunia sepak bola]. Jadi ini adalah momen yang sangat membanggakan bagi saya," kata Jay Idzes dalam wawancara dengan Youtube resmi Serie A.

Di musim ini, Jay Idzes menunjukkan penampilan yang cukup mengesankan. Walaupun Venezia masih berkutat di papan bawah, Jay Idzes jadi salah satu pemain yang menonjol di dalam tim.

Hal itu pula yang akhirnya membuat Jay Idzes terpilih sebagai kapten tim di pertengahan musim ketika Joel Pohjanpalo pergi dari klub tersebut. Setelah menjabat jadi kapten tim, Jay Idzes pun menunjukkan karisma kuatnya sebagai pemimpin, tidak hanya di lini belakang melainkan juga bagi tim secara keseluruhan.

Selain lewat penampilan individu, nama Indonesia jelas bakal makin dikenal bila mampu lolos ke Piala Dunia 2026. Harapan itu masih terbuka.

Timnas Indonesia saat ini ada di peringkat keempat grup C dengan koleksi sembilan poin. Bila mampu mempertahankan posisi di empat besar, Timnas Indonesia bisa melanjutkan perjuangan ke babak keempat Kualifikasi Piala Dunia.

Di Liga Italia, bermain untuk Klub Venezia, Jay Idzes sudah mencetak satu gol dari 27 laga Liga Italia 2024-2025. Hebatnya satu-satunya gol yang dibuat diciptakan ke gawang salah satu klub top Liga Italia, Juventus.

Jay Idzes dalam laga Serie A antara Juventus vs Venezia, Minggu (15/12/2024). (c) Serie A Official

Selain Bologna, AC Milan, Juventus, Italia dan Inter Milan memiliki ketertarikan untuk memboyong Jay Idzes. Ketertarikan Bologna pada jasa Jay Idzes tak lepas dari laporan dari jurnalis kenamaan asal Italia, Nicolo Schira. Lewat salah satu ungguhan Schira, Bologa telah memantau Jay Idzes secara intensif.

Inter Milan bahkan sudah mengutus pemandu bakatnya ke Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, ketika Jay Idzes membawa Venezia bermain imbang dengan Atalanta 0-0, pada jari Sabtu, 01/03/2025.

Menjadi NaraSumber di Kanal Youtube Serie A Italy

Kapten Timnas Indonesia, Jay Idzes menjadi narasumber dalam wawancara eksklusif di kanal Youtube Serie A atau Liga Italia.

Bek Venezia itu diminta menjadi narasumber khusus oleh operator kasta tertinggi liga Italia tersebut.

Aksi bek timnas Indonesia, Jay Idzes (kiri), saat berduel dengan Romelu Lukaku pada partai Venezia vs Napoli di pekan ke-29 Liga Italia (16/3/2025). (ANDREA PATTARO/AFP)

Ada beberapa pembahasan yang sangat menarik dalam video yang berdurasi 5 menit 20 detik itu, salah satunya terkait kelebihan yang dimiliki Jay Idzes.

Pada sesi wawancara tersebut, Serie A sempat menyoroti terkait adanya tiga kelebihan yang dimiliki Jay Idzes.

Bek 24 tahun itu dinilai memiliki tiga kelebihan khusus, yakni ketenangan dalam penguasaan bola, tekel yang kuat, dan contoh pemimpin hebat di lini belakang.

Kapten Timnas Indonesia, Jay Idzes saat Membela Venezia FC di Liga Italia. Sumber : https://x.com/VeneziaFC

Tak hanya itu, Jay Idzes bahkan dianggap menjadi sosok pemain sekaligus kapten yang sangat penting di jantung pertahanan Venezia.

"Kekuatan terbesar saya adalah dorongan saya, menurut saya," kata Idzes.

"Keinginan saya untuk menang, untuk selalu berkembang, saya pikir itu telah membantu saya dalam perjalanan saya untuk waktu yang lama, sepanjang yang saya ingat," jelas Jay Idzes.

"Saya pikir itulah kekuatan terbesar saya, saya pikir saya bisa berkembang dalam banyak hal juga sebagai kapten, bagaimana memimpin tim, bagaimana membimbing tim," tambahnya.

Jay Idzes sendiri tercatat menjadi pemain Indonesia pertama yang bisa bermain di kasta tertinggi Liga Itala.

Bersama timnas Indonesia, berkat ketangguhan Jay Idzes, Timnas Indonesia berhasil meraih kemenangan penting 1-0 atas Bahrain dalam matchday kedelapan Grup C putaran ketiga kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 zona Asia.

Elon Musk sells X

FILE PHOTO ©Getty Images/Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced that his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, has acquired the social media platform X, which he also controls. The acquisition was confirmed in a Friday post on X, where Musk stated, “@xAI has acquired @X in an all-stock transaction.”

“Since its founding two years ago, xAI has rapidly become one of the leading AI labs in the world, building models and data centers at unprecedented speed and scale,” the tech mogul said. He described X as “the digital town square where more than 600M active users go to find the real-time source of ground truth.”

In late 2022, Musk acquired Twitter, now known as X. Following his takeover, he implemented cost-cutting measures, including far-reaching staff cuts and the renegotiations of contracts, while also relaxing some content restrictions and reinstating certain banned accounts.

Musk noted that X has been transformed into one of the most efficient companies globally, highlighting its potential for scalable growth. He has stated that “xAI and X’s futures are intertwined,” emphasizing the advantages of combining their resources: “Today, we officially take the step to combine the data, models, compute, distribution and talent.”

AI development is one of the priorities of the government of US President Donald Trump, where Musk leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). According to analysts, the billionaire has been focused on establishing himself as a leader in the AI industry.

Earlier this year, he attempted to lead a group of investors to purchase OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, for nearly $100 billion. The company’s CEO Sam Altman, however, rejected the offer. Musk had co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but departed before it gained significant traction, and subsequently launched xAI in 2023.

A significant reversal of X’s fortunes

Big advertisers, who had largely abandoned X after hate speech surged on the platform and ads were seen running alongside pro-Nazi content, have begun to return. (X made several pro-Nazi accounts ineligible for ads following advertiser departures.) Amazon and Apple are both reportedly reinvesting in X campaigns again, a remarkable endorsement from two brands with mass appeal.

The brand’s stabilization helped a group of bondholders, who had been deep underwater in their investments, sell billions of dollars in their X debt holdings at 97 cents on the dollar earlier this month — albeit with exceedingly high interest rates — according to several recent reports.

Bloomberg in February reported that X was in talks to raise money that would value the company at $44 billion. It’s not clear what came of those talks and why xAI is valuing X at less than it could reportedly fetch from investors. X needs to pay down its massive debt load, which Musk on Friday said totals $12 billion.

A big part of why X’s valuation has rebounded in recent months is xAI, which X reportedly held a stake in. Last month, xAI was seeking a $75 billion valuation in a funding round, according to Bloomberg.

But the biggest factor in X’s stunning bounce-back is almost certainly Musk himself: Musk’s elevation to a special government employee under President Donald Trump has empowered the world’s richest person with large sway over the operations of the federal government, which he has rapidly sought to reshape.

Investors betting on X are probably making a gamble on its leader, not its business. Last year, Musk turned X into a pro-Trump machine, using the platform to boost the president’s campaign. In posts to his 200 million followers, he pushed racist conspiracy theories about the Biden administration’s immigration policies and obsessed over the “woke mind virus,” a term used by some conservatives to describe progressive causes.

And now, with Trump back in office and Musk working in the executive branch, X has once again become the most important social media platform for following and interacting with the Trump administration. Musk has also used X to broadcast some of his changes with his Department of Government Efficiency.

Myanmar Earthquake M 7.7 - 140 Death Toll

Powerful quake rocks Myanmar at least 144 people were killed and more than 730 injured after a 7.7-magnitude quake struck Myanmar near the city of Mandalay, according to the head of the country’s military government, who warned that casualties are likely to rise.

Buildings collapse in Bangkok. The quake triggered the collapse of buildings hundreds of miles away in Thailand. At least nine people have died in the nation’s capital, and authorities are racing to free 110 people believed to be trapped under the rubble of an under-construction high-rise, officials said.

Much of the devastation was in Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay, which lies close to the epicentre of the 7.7 magnitude quake that struck at lunchtime and was followed by a powerful aftershock and several more moderate ones.

A rescue worker from Amarapura, an ancient city and now a township of Mandalay, said the bodies of 30 people had been recovered from collapsed multi-story apartment blocks.

"I have never experienced anything like this before - our town looks like a collapsed city," he said, estimating that about a fifth of the buildings had been destroyed.

"We received calls for help from people from the inside, but we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris, but we will not stop working".

General Min Aung Hlaing, leader of Myanmar's military junta, said there would be more deaths and casualties and invited "any country" to provide help and donations.

Speaking at the White House later on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had spoken with officials in Myanmar and that his administration would be providing some form of assistance. "We're going to be helping," he told reporters.

In the Thai capital Bangkok, an official said at least nine people had been killed. Rescuers were searching through the rubble of the tower block that collapsed.

Motorists ride past a damaged building in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 28. REUTERS/Stringer Purchase Licensing Rights

Mandalay, with a population of about 1.5 million, is Myanmar's ancient royal capital and the centre of its Buddhist heartland. Rescue workers were trying to reach dozens of monks trapped under rubble in the Phaya Taung Monastery, said the emergency worker in Amarapura. Buildings, bridges and roads were wrecked, residents and local media said.

State-run MRTV said at least 144 people had been killed in Myanmar and 732 injured.

The junta is locked in a struggle to put down insurgents fighting its rule, a situation that is likely to complicate the rescue and relief operation.

"We all ran out of the house as everything started shaking," a Mandalay resident told. "I witnessed a five-storey building collapse in front of my eyes. Everyone in my town is out on the road and no one dares to go back inside."

A rescue worker from the Moe Saydanar charity told Reuters it had retrieved at least 60 bodies from monasteries and buildings in Pyinmana, near the capital Naypyidaw, and more people were trapped. In the purpose-built capital itself, a 1,000-bed hospital sustained damage and roads were left with huge fissures, state media reported.

People ride motorcycles past a damaged building after a strong earthquake in Mandalay, Myanmar, March 28. REUTERS/Stringer Purchase Licensing Rights

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the United Nations was mobilising in Southeast Asia to help those in need.

Zin Mar Aung, the diplomatic spokesperson for the opposition National Unity Government, said fighters from the anti-junta militias known as the People's Defence Forces would provide humanitarian help.

About 11 minutes after the initial 7.7-magnitude earthquake, a strong, 6.4-magnitude aftershock struck the same area, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles

An aftershock is usually a smaller earthquake that follows a larger one in the same general area. Aftershocks are typically minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.

Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.

Bangkok woman describes fleeing from 33rd floor of her apartment building after quake

One woman who lives in Bangkok said she was on the 33rd floor of her apartment building when a powerful earthquake struck neighboring Myanmar.

Bella Pawita Sunthornpong appears on CNN on Friday. CNN

At first, Bella Pawita Sunthornpong thought it was a moment of lightheadedness “because I was seeing everything was swaying.

“But I was walking out to another room, and I start seeing the lamp from the ceiling was, like, really swaying together,” she told CNN, describing the moment she realized it was an earthquake.

She grabbed her phone and started running down from the 33rd floor, telling others around her to run too. She said as she was making her way out of the building, ceiling paint was falling and everything was still swaying.

“I was thinking, you know, whatever happened, I just need to keep running until I hit the ground,” Pawita Sunthornpong said.

Also in Bangkok, which is hundreds of miles from the epicenter of the earthquake, a building that was under construction in the city collapsed, killing several people. Pawita Sunthornpong said when she made it outside, there was a lot of fear and confusion, with people looking at her building wondering, “Is this going to crumble?”

Pawita Sunthornpong, who went to stay outside of the city, said many of her friends don’t feel safe going back to their apartments: “There’s a lot of cracks everywhere, so people are still in a little bit of fear tonight.”

What was the Russian gas pipeline facility ‘destroyed’ by Kiev

©Russian Defense Ministry

Ukraine has “destroyed” a key border energy facility in Kursk Region, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Sudzha gas metering station was part of a major pipeline, which for decades had delivered fuel to EU customers.

Here is what happened and the possible consequences of the attack.

Ukraine finishes off Sudzha station

According to the report by the Russian military, Ukrainian forces used US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems to strike the Sudzha gas pipeline facility on Friday, causing a blaze. The defense ministry in Moscow claimed that the metering station is no longer operational.

Last week, Moscow accused Kiev of sabotaging the same site using planted explosives. Ukrainian forces seized the station last August as part of their incursion into Kursk Region, but have been largely pushed out over recent weeks.

The Russian military said the Ukrainians had damaged the station during their retreat, as they could no longer use it for military logistics.

Ceasefire violation

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted a proposal from his US counterpart, Donald Trump, to suspend attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure; Kiev agreed to the mutual moratorium.

The Russian military has since reported multiple violations by Ukraine, which it said demonstrates Kiev’s duplicity. Moscow claims it is honoring its obligations under the deal as part of an effort to normalize relations with Washington.

However, commenting on the destruction of the Sudzha station on Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from the agreement, since “it would be illogical for us to observe it, when every night we face attempted strikes on our energy infrastructure.”

End of EU transit

The Sudzha station was part of an energy route connecting gas fields in Western Siberia with Uzhhorod, a city on the Ukrainian border with Hungary, feeding the fuel to gas pipelines in the EU.

Originally built by the USSR with German help in what the press dubbed “the deal of the century,” the pipeline provided Europe with access to cheap fuel for decades. Last year, over 15 billion cubic meters of Russian gas was delivered through Ukraine, despite the two nations engaging in an armed conflict. Kiev has received hundreds of millions of dollars in transit fees annually under the scheme.

Kiev, however, refused to renew the contract with Russia that expired at the end of 2024, claiming that it wanted to deny Moscow the opportunity to sell gas to the EU.

The decision caused a crisis in the EU, as Hungary and Slovakia called on Brussels to apply pressure on Ukraine and secure continued supplies. Friday’s attack will delay the restoration of gas flows to the continent if a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev is reached.

Kiev’s move backfires

The end of transit backfired on Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region this month, as Russian troops infiltrated behind their defensive positions by traveling through the unused pipeline.

‘Operation Flow,’ as Moscow dubbed it, hastened the collapse of the Ukrainian incursion and led to the liberation of the town of Sudzha, which had previously served as the linchpin of Kiev’s attempts to seize Russian territory.

Putin’s move: Why Ukraine fears the ceasefire deal it helped shape

A month of intense diplomacy has paid off. Russia and Ukraine, with US mediation, have reached their first formal agreement – so far limited to reducing hostilities. The deal outlines a 30-day ceasefire in the Black Sea and a moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure. Superficially, this resembles the “fake” air and naval ceasefire once floated by France and Britain to box Russia into a strategic dilemma. But the result turned out very differently.

Notably, Western European players are absent. Discussions about a second phase involving peacekeepers from France and the UK have stalled. Despite the noise, there will be no EU personnel monitoring this ceasefire. Instead, Russia has used the talks to extract valuable concessions from the Trump administration – chief among them, help regaining access to global agricultural markets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. ©Sputnik/Ramil Sitdikov

The US has now placed sanctions relief for Rosselkhozbank, Russian food and fertiliser exporters, and shipping access to international ports on the agenda. These were the very demands Moscow had raised during the original 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, but at the time it received only vague UN assurances. Now, Russia has firm traction.

The energy truce also tilted in Moscow’s favour. Ukraine had wanted it to apply to all critical infrastructure, but the final version – negotiated by Russia and the US – is much narrower. It restricts attacks only on energy-related targets: oil refineries, power plants, hydroelectric stations, pipelines, and so forth. This specificity robs Kiev of opportunities to claim Russian ceasefire violations.

But there are caveats. The biggest: it remains unclear whether the ceasefire has actually come into force. All three parties have issued contradictory statements with conflicting terms.

On the Black Sea deal, for instance, the Kremlin says the ceasefire will not begin until sanctions are lifted. It also claims the agreement allows Russia to inspect all ships heading to Ukrainian ports for weapons.

However, the Ukrainian and US versions omit these conditions. Kiev even asserts that Russian naval vessels are barred from the western Black Sea and that the ceasefire started on 25 March.

Similarly, the timeline for the energy truce is disputed. Moscow insists it began on 18 March, the day of the Putin-Trump phone call. If so, Ukraine is already in breach: recent attacks on Russian infrastructure, such as the strike on the Sudzha gas station, occurred after that date. It’s no surprise then that Zelensky insists the ceasefire only began a week later.

In short, while a ceasefire has been announced, its fragility is obvious. There may not even be a unified written document. Its provisions are being interpreted differently by each party, and the sheer number of caveats allows any participant to declare the deal void at will. As a result, any real progress toward peace remains uncertain.

Now comes the most delicate phase: the battle for narrative dominance. The next few weeks will be filled with technical talks, diplomatic testing, and mutual accusations. Kiev’s aim is to portray Russia as violating the deal, hoping Trump will respond by tightening sanctions and increasing military aid. Moscow, by contrast, seeks to depict Ukraine as the spoiler, thereby strengthening its position in Washington and perhaps even reviving discussions about Zelensky’s future.

Who will succeed in this information war? Russia enters with a clear advantage: the deep mistrust that now exists between the White House and Bankova. Moreover, Trump has broader ambitions, including dismantling the Russia-China partnership. That aim may guide his approach to Moscow far more than anything Zelensky says.

The next big test is the long-delayed agreement on Ukraine’s subsoil resources – a key American interest that Zelensky sabotaged with his recent Washington visit. A revised 40-page draft is reportedly in the works, and insiders suggest it will be more demanding than the original.

Will Zelensky hold his ground? Or fold under pressure? The answer could reshape the peace process. If the Ukrainian leader concedes, Trump may move closer to Russia. If not, relations could once again stall.

Whatever happens, the US-Russia-Ukraine triangle is entering a new, unpredictable chapter. But for now, it is Russia that appears to have gained the most from this uneasy ceasefire – not least by turning a Western pressure tactic into a platform for negotiation on its own terms.