Russia launched a fresh wave of drone and missile attacks across Ukraine just hours after a ceasefire announced by Kyiv took effect, according to Ukrainian officials.
Breaking the ceasefire
Ukraine’s air force said Russian President Vladimir Putin launched three ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones in an overnight attack. By: MEGA
Both Russia and Ukraine separately declared unilateral ceasefires ahead of Moscow’s Victory Day commemorations, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Kremlin said it would observe a two-day ceasefire on May 8 and 9 and expected Ukraine “to follow suit.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky instead announced a ceasefire beginning at midnight on May 6, saying Ukrainian forces would act “symmetrically” to Russia.
Despite the announcement, Ukraine’s air force said Russian President Vladimir Putin launched three ballistic missiles and more than 100 drones overnight.
Shortly after Kyiv’s ceasefire took effect, officials in the southern Zaporizhzhia region issued air raid alerts warning of Russian strikes involving laser-guided aerial bombs.
Russian bomb strike
Russia claimed its air defenses intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian and annexed territories. By: MEGA
In the northern Sumy region, Governor Oleh Hryhorov said one person was killed after a Russian bomb struck a car. He later reported that two Russian drones hit a civilian building in central Sumy.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said several homes were damaged when a Russian drone hit a residential building, sparking a fire. Ukraine’s emergency services said two people were injured.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of violating the ceasefire, saying Russia had “once again ignored a realistic and fair call to end hostilities.”
Russia said its air defenses intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian and annexed territories.
Moscow has also warned it would launch a “retaliatory, massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv” if Ukraine targets Russia’s Victory Day events.
‘Minimize the danger’
The Kremlin said it would scale back its annual military parade to ‘minimize the danger’ of Ukrainian attacks. By: MEGA
The Kremlin said it would scale back its annual military parade to “minimize the danger” of Ukrainian attacks.
“It is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end their war, if the Russian Ministry of Defense believes that it will not hold a parade in Moscow without the goodwill of Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Ukrainian authorities said at least 12 people were killed and 43 were injured in Russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia, just before Kyiv’s ceasefire began.