Ukraine accused Russia of violating a ceasefire initiated by Kyiv overnight, with officials reporting one person killed and three wounded in regions in the north and east of the country.
Ceasefire Violations Reported
“Russia violated the ceasefire initiated by Ukraine at midnight between May 5th and 6th,” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on X, reporting that Russian attacks continued through the night, including morning strikes on the cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia.
“This shows that Russia rejects peace and its fake calls for a ceasefire on May 9th have nothing to do with diplomacy,” he wrote.
Details of the Attacks
Ukraine's air force said this morning's attack involved at least 89 Russian drones as well as ballistic missiles, with hits confirmed in eight different locations. It warned that the attack continues as there are “several enemy UAVs in the airspace”.
The unilateral ceasefire proposed by Volodymyr Zelensky took effect at midnight. At least 27 people were killed in Russian strikes throughout eastern Ukraine in the hours leading up to the start of the ceasefire at midnight (Tuesday 10pm BST).
Putin's Counter-Proposal
Putin has not committed to observing the ceasefire, but has proposed his own truce to cover 8 and 9 May, when Russia will commemorate the end of the Second World War with a military parade in Red Square.
Briefing: What we know on the 1,533rd day of Ukraine war
Ukraine accused Russia of flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire on Wednesday by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks. Russia has said it faces an increased threat of Ukrainian attacks and will hold a slimmed-down version of its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow this week without military hardware on display. Russia is warning diplomatic missions to evacuate staff promptly from Kyiv in the event of a mass strike by Moscow in response to any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt Victory Day commemorations.
