Kyiv has condemned Russia for launching attacks on multiple Ukrainian cities overnight, utilizing over 100 combat drones and three missiles, despite a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire declared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Ukrainian president announced the ceasefire following a statement from the Kremlin, which indicated a desire for a truce during its annual military parade in Red Square. However, Zelenskyy also noted that he would respond in kind if President Vladimir Putin violated Ukraine’s ceasefire, which is set to expire at midnight on Wednesday.
Contrary to pausing its military operations, Moscow has escalated its assaults, resulting in a series of catastrophic bombings in densely populated urban areas. On Tuesday alone, airstrikes in the Donetsk, Poltava, and Dnipro regions claimed the lives of 28 civilians and injured dozens more.
On Wednesday, Russian drones struck a kindergarten in the northeastern city of Sumy, leading to the death of a security guard and injuries to two others, according to local authorities. Fortunately, there were no children present at the facility during the attack.
Since last Friday, Russian forces have conducted assaults across 14 regions of Ukraine, resulting in at least 70 civilian deaths and over 500 injuries, as reported by the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine on Wednesday.
“The scale of civilian casualties and the breadth of affected areas in such a short timeframe is particularly concerning,” stated Danielle Bell, head of the monitoring mission.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s foreign minister, remarked that the recent attacks demonstrate Russia’s unwillingness to pursue peace. He expressed on social media, “This indicates that the insincere calls for a ceasefire on May 9th have no basis in genuine diplomacy. Putin prioritizes military displays over human lives.”
Sybiha further asserted that such an attitude warrants intensified pressure on the Russian government, including new sanctions, isolation, accountability for war crimes, and enhanced support for Ukraine across all sectors.
The drone and missile strikes on Tuesday marked one of the deadliest days in Ukraine in recent weeks and occurred amidst a stagnation in Russia’s battlefield advances, with Russian forces losing more territory in April than they gained for the first time since 2024.
In preparation for Saturday’s military parade—commemorating the Allies’ victory over Nazi Germany during World War II—the Kremlin has implemented extensive security measures following recent long-range drone strikes from Ukraine targeting various sites. Notably, this year’s event will not feature any displays of tanks or ballistic missiles for the first time in nearly two decades.
Air defense systems have been relocated to Moscow from other regions, and mobile internet services have been suspended as a precautionary measure. It remains uncertain whether Ukraine will attempt to disrupt the parade or instead focus on attacking Russia’s oil infrastructure and military production facilities.
Zelenskyy indicated that the heightened air defense presence around Moscow could provide “additional opportunities” for Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes elsewhere within Russia. He stated that officials would deliberate on further actions later in the day in response to the latest Russian attacks.
The Russian defense ministry claimed to have intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones between 9 PM and 7 AM, a figure significantly lower than in previous days. The ministry did not clarify whether any of these drones were launched after Kyiv’s unilateral ceasefire was enacted at midnight.
Additionally, reports from Sergei Aksyonov, the governor appointed by Russia in occupied Crimea, indicated that five individuals were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Dzhankoi. Aksyonov announced the casualties shortly after midnight but had mentioned the attack itself more than 90 minutes earlier.
Efforts to resolve Europe’s most severe conflict since World War II have made little headway, with Putin steadfastly refusing to alter his demands made during the full-scale invasion in 2022, which include the transfer of significant Ukrainian territory and the dissolution of its pro-Western government.
