Ukraine has condemned Russia for launching over 100 combat drones and three missiles overnight, violating a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire declared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The truce was announced after Moscow requested a ceasefire for its annual military parade on Saturday, but Kyiv says Russia intensified attacks instead.
At least 28 civilians were killed on Tuesday in bomb and missile strikes across the Donetsk, Poltava and Dnipro regions. On Wednesday, a Russian drone hit a kindergarten in Sumy, killing a security guard and injuring two others, though no children were present. Since last Friday, attacks on 14 regions have killed at least 70 civilians and wounded over 500, according to the UN human rights monitoring mission.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that the strikes show Russia rejects peace, adding: 'Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives.' He called for increased sanctions and support for Ukraine. The Kremlin has bolstered air defences around Moscow for the parade, which will lack tanks and ballistic missiles for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Zelenskyy noted that the concentration of air defences around Moscow creates opportunities for long-range attacks elsewhere. Russia's defence ministry claimed it downed 53 Ukrainian drones overnight, while a drone strike in occupied Crimea killed five people, according to Russian-installed officials.
