Ukraine accused Russia of flouting a Kyiv-proposed ceasefire yesterday by carrying out dozens of battlefield assaults, air strikes and drone attacks in what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy described as Moscow’s “obvious spurning” of peace.
Zelenskiy had floated the cessation, starting on May 6, in response to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s own proposed ceasefire from May 8 to 9 to coincide with its Second World War victory commemorations.
In a statement, Zelenskiy said Russia – which did not confirm its adherence to Ukraine’s proposal – had committed 1,820 violations by late morning yesterday.
“Russia’s choice is an obvious spurning of a ceasefire and of saving lives,” he said.
Speaking later in his nightly video address, Zelenskiy said Russia “has responded to the proposal only with new strikes and new attacks” and Ukraine would determine “our entirely justified responses”.
He said Ukraine was ready to work for peace but that “if the one person in Moscow who cannot live without war is interested only in a parade and nothing else, that is another matter”.
“Russia has fought to the point where even their main parade now depends on us.”
Russia, citing an increased threat of Ukrainian attacks, says it will hold a slimmed-down version of its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow this week without military hardware.
Officials in the northeastern region of Sumy said two people were killed in separate Russian drone attacks on a civilian car and a kindergarten where children were not present.
In major cities such as Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia – where an attack on Tuesday killed 12 people – private buildings, infrastructure and industrial sites were damaged in air attacks after midnight, officials said.
“This shows that Russia rejects peace and its fake calls for a ceasefire on Saturday have nothing to do with diplomacy,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on X.
“Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives.”
The rival overtures come amid stalled US-backed peace talks to end the more than four-year war
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