More than 20 people have been killed in Russian attacks across Ukraine, hours before separate ceasefires announced by Kyiv and Moscow were due to take effect.
Ukrainian officials said 12 people died in an aerial strike on Zaporizhzhia, while additional casualties were reported in Kramatorsk and Dnipro. President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attacks as a “cynical terrorist strike.”
In Russia, authorities in the Chuvash Republic reported that two people were killed and dozens injured in a drone attack.
Both sides have announced unilateral ceasefires, but without coordination. Moscow said it would observe a truce on 8 and 9 May to coincide with Victory Day commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany. Kyiv, however, declared an earlier, open-ended ceasefire starting from midnight on 6 May.
Ukraine said it would respond “symmetrically” to any actions by Russia, leaving uncertainty over whether the ceasefires would hold.
Zelensky urged Moscow to move towards “real diplomacy”, criticising continued strikes ahead of the proposed truce. “It’s utter cynicism to ask for silence while launching attacks every day beforehand,” he said.
Fighting has continued in the lead-up to the ceasefires. Ukraine said it carried out strikes on targets inside Russia, including an industrial site in the Leningrad region. Russia said it had intercepted hundreds of drones.
The Kremlin has indicated heightened security concerns ahead of Victory Day, with reports that this year’s military parade in Moscow will be scaled down.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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