by Jack Diffley
Kyiv says Moscow launched more than 100 drones and three missiles during a 24-hour truce announced by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as civilian casualties continue to rise across Ukraine
Ukraine has accused Russia of ignoring a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire and intensifying its attacks on civilian areas, after Moscow launched more than 100 combat drones and three missiles overnight.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced the truce after the Kremlin called for a pause in fighting on Saturday to coincide with Russia’s annual military parade in Red Square. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would respond in kind if Vladimir Putin violated the ceasefire, which was due to run until midnight on Wednesday.
Instead, Ukrainian officials said, Russia continued to strike cities and towns across the country. On Tuesday, 28 civilians were killed in bomb and missile attacks in the Donetsk, Poltava and Dnipro regions, with dozens more injured.
On Wednesday, a Russian drone hit a kindergarten in the north-eastern city of Sumy, killing a security guard and wounding two other people. Officials said no children were inside the building at the time.
The United Nations human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine said Russian attacks on 14 regions since last Friday had killed at least 70 civilians and injured more than 500. Danielle Bell, head of the mission, said the scale of casualties and the number of affected areas in such a short period were “particularly alarming”.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said the attacks showed that Moscow’s calls for a ceasefire were not serious. “Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives,” he wrote on social media, adding that Russia’s conduct required stronger international pressure, new sanctions, accountability for war crimes and greater support for Ukraine.
The latest wave of strikes comes as Russian gains on the battlefield appear to have slowed sharply. In April, Moscow’s forces reportedly lost more territory than they captured for the first time since 2024, raising questions about the effectiveness of Russia’s current offensive operations.
At the same time, the Kremlin is taking extensive security measures ahead of Saturday’s parade marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the second world war. After recent long-range Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian targets, air defence systems have been moved to Moscow and mobile internet services have been restricted in the capital.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the Red Square parade is expected to take place without the usual display of tanks and ballistic missiles, a sign of the heightened security concerns surrounding the event.
Zelenskyy suggested that Russia’s decision to concentrate air defences around Moscow could create “additional opportunities” for Ukraine to strike military and energy targets elsewhere in Russia. Ukrainian officials were expected to assess their next steps in response to the latest attacks.
Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, though it did not clarify whether any were launched after Kyiv’s ceasefire came into effect. In occupied Crimea, the Russia-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said five people had been killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on Dzhankoi, though his first report of the attack came before midnight.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war remain stalled. Putin has shown no sign of softening demands first made during the full-scale invasion in 2022, including the transfer of large areas of Ukrainian territory to Russia and the removal of Ukraine’s pro-western leadership.
For Kyiv, the latest attacks reinforce the argument that Moscow is using the language of ceasefire and commemoration while continuing to wage war against civilians. For Moscow, the priority appears to be protecting the symbolism of Saturday’s parade, even as the conflict shows no credible path toward resolution.
(Associated Medias) – all rights reserved
L’articolo Ukraine accuses Russia of using ceasefire talk as cover for new attacks proviene da Associated Medias.
