Russia fires dozens of drones in Ukraine in ‘blatant violation’ of ceasefire, says Zelenskyy
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Russia has shot down dozens of warplanes entering Ukraine in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, in defiance of a ceasefire announced by Kyiv that began at midnight.
Russia’s Defense Ministry says Ukraine has not complied with its ceasefire, saying its air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, the illegally occupied Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.
Five people died in a Ukrainian airstrike in the city of Dzhankoi in Crimea, according to Gov. Sergei Aksyonov installed in Russia. He reported the casualties just after midnight, but posted about the attack itself more than 90 minutes earlier.
There were no official signs from Moscow that it would heed Kyiv’s decision to end the war, and there was no hope of a pause in the war as the war entered its fifth year following Russia’s attacks on its neighbour. US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war over the past year have been futile.
On Tuesday, Russian drones and missiles attacked Ukraine it killed 27 people and wounded 120 others, all of whom were civilians, according to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
On Wednesday, two Russian warplanes crashed into a kindergarten in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing a security guard and injuring two others, officials said. There were no children at that time.
The Russian offensive since last Friday has killed at least 70 civilians and injured more than 500, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said on Wednesday, as the strikes hit 14 regions.
“The most alarming thing is the level of casualties and the extent of the area affected in a few days,” said Danielle Bell, head of the mission.
The war has killed more than 15,000 people, according to the United Nations.
‘Clear outrage’
Although Kyiv has suspended open hostilities, Russia has continued bombing, airstrikes using drones and high-flying bombs, and has tried to break through Ukraine’s defenses, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday at X.
“Russia’s decision is to clearly violate the ceasefire and save lives,” Zelenskyy said.
“Russia must end the war it is currently fighting,” he said, urging Moscow to withdraw its aggression. “The Russian side has our political proposals, and the only thing that is needed is Russia’s willingness to go to real peace.”
Both sides continued long-range strike campaigns. On the nearly 1,250-kilometer front line, on the other hand, Russia’s main force is still holding a slow and expensive counterattack against Ukraine’s heavy drone defenses.
Zelenskyy announced the unilateral ceasefire after Russia said it would suspend its own war on Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two. The Ukrainian leader said any violation of the ceasefire would trigger a military response.
European officials welcomed Ukraine’s move as a gesture of goodwill that showed its readiness for a peaceful settlement.
Russia launched 108 drones overnight: Ukraine
The Russian military launched 108 drones and three missiles overnight, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, with attacks continuing through the night into Wednesday morning.
“Moscow has once again ignored a genuine and legitimate call to end the conflict, which is supported by other states and international organizations,” Sybiha said in the X post.
Moscow’s proposal for a ceasefire later this week follows a pattern in Russia which has announced short ceasefires between the wars that are timed to coincide with various holidays, most recently the Orthodox Easter.
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That ceasefire is not producing any tangible results amid deep mistrust between the warring parties.
Sybiha said Russia’s actions exposed its calls for a ceasefire on May 9 as dishonest. “Putin only cares about military parades, not people’s lives,” he said.
The diplomat called for increased international pressure on Moscow, including new sanctions, political isolation, accountability mechanisms for war crimes and military and civilian support for Ukraine.
