Ukraine accuses Russia of violating ceasefire with overnight drone and missile strikes
Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of breaching the unilateral ceasefire declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky, after Russian forces launched 108 drones and three missiles against Ukrainian territory in the hours immediately following the truce's entry into force at midnight between May 5 and May 6.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russian strikes continued throughout the night, including morning attacks on Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia had fired two ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and 108 drones across the country from 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday. From 4 a.m. Wednesday, the military reported guided aerial bomb strikes targeting the Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk regions, followed by repeated strikes on the Zaporizhzhia region beginning at 5 a.m.
In Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported strikes in at least two city districts, causing damage to seven private homes and resulting in casualties. In Zaporizhzhia, industrial infrastructure was hit without reported fatalities. A Russian drone strike on a civilian vehicle in the northern Sumy region killed one passenger and wounded the driver, according to the regional governor.
The ceasefire violations followed a devastating day of Russian attacks on Tuesday that killed at least 27 people across Ukraine in the hours before Kyiv's announced truce deadline. In Zaporizhzhia alone, at least 12 people were killed and 16 wounded, while aerial bombs dropped on the frontline city of Kramatorsk killed five more. Zelensky sharply criticized Moscow on Tuesday, calling it a display of absolute cynicism to demand a ceasefire for the purpose of staging propaganda celebrations while continuing daily missile and drone strikes up to its implementation.
The crisis stems from competing and incompatible ceasefire declarations issued by the two sides. Russia's Defense Ministry announced a unilateral truce from May 8 to 9 to coincide with the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, while simultaneously threatening a massive missile strike on central Kyiv if Ukraine disrupted Victory Day festivities. Zelensky responded by announcing an open-ended Ukrainian ceasefire effective from midnight on May 5 to 6, challenging Russia to reciprocate. Sybiha said Wednesday that Russia's refusal proved that its calls for a ceasefire on May 9 had nothing to do with diplomacy. Both proposals remain unilateral, with neither side having agreed on common terms, duration, or monitoring mechanisms, underscoring how far apart the two nations remain as Western-led diplomatic efforts to end the four-year conflict have stalled.
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