Ukraine said on Wednesday that Russia breached a unilateral ceasefire Kyiv had declared after a night of heavy attacks involving more than 100 combat drones and several missiles.
Ukrainian officials reported that at least 27 people were killed and dozens more wounded in strikes across eastern Ukraine late Tuesday, only hours before Kyiv’s proposed ceasefire was due to begin at midnight local time (2100 GMT). Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media that with hours to go Russia “shows no signs of preparing to end hostilities,” instead stepping up attacks. He said Moscow launched 108 combat drones and three missiles on Ukrainian cities, calling Russia’s own May 9 ceasefire statements “fake” and accusing President Vladimir Putin of prioritizing military parades over civilian lives.
The deadliest blow fell on Zaporizhzhia, where at least 12 people were killed and 20 injured after guided aerial bombs were followed by strikes from Iranian-designed Shahed drones. City Council Secretary Rehina Kharchenko described the assault as cynical and said Shahed drones returned to hit locations again after the initial impacts.
Further north, powerful glide bombs struck the frontline city of Kramatorsk, killing six and wounding 12. Four people died in Dnipro, and a strike on gas production facilities in the Poltava region killed five. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Poltava attack as particularly vicious, saying Russia fired a second missile at the same site while rescuers were still working. He denounced the strikes as cynical, senseless terrorism with no military purpose and urged Moscow to stop the fighting and take real steps toward peace.
The latest strikes followed a deadly night on Monday in which five people were killed and 39 wounded. Russia has said it will observe a ceasefire on Friday and Saturday for Victory Day commemorations on May 9 and warned of retaliation if Ukraine attempts to disrupt events. Zelenskyy said Russia could halt the war immediately by stopping its attacks and that Ukraine would respond in kind.
Before Kyiv’s unilateral pause was to begin, Ukrainian forces also struck targets inside Russia, including attacks on oil facilities intended to disrupt Moscow’s war economy. Authorities said Ukrainian forces used F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles against military-industrial targets in Cheboksary, more than 1,500 kilometers away, with the regional health ministry reporting three injuries. Ukrainian drones were also reported to have hit the Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad region, causing a fire.
Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea said five civilians were killed in Dzhankoi in what they described as a Ukrainian drone attack likely occurring before the midnight deadline. Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces had destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones across 18 Russian regions.