Russia and Ukraine launched new drone attacks overnight, casting doubt on whether Moscow’s unilateral proposal for a ceasefire around the weekend commemoration of Victory Day will be implemented.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 264 Ukrainian drones between midnight and 7 a.m. local time, including some over the capital region. Moscow had previously said it would halt combat operations and long-range attacks as part of a self-proclaimed ceasefire on May 8-9, but warned it would respond to Ukrainian attacks.
Russia launched more than 140 strikes on Ukrainian frontline positions overnight and attempted 10 attacks, mostly against positions near Slovyansk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on X. Ukraine also said Russia had targeted several regions with dozens of drones overnight.
“All this clearly shows that there was not even a hint of an attempt at a ceasefire on the Russian side,” Zelenskiy said, adding that Ukraine would continue to react in the same way and defend itself.
Ukraine said Russia had not coordinated its ceasefire proposal with Kyiv and offered its own ceasefire proposal from 5.
Late Thursday, Zelenskyy urged foreign leaders planning to visit Moscow in the coming days to reconsider. Planning to attend the May 9 parade in Red Square is “a special desire at a time like this,” he said, adding, “We don’t recommend it.”
Russia has warned Ukraine that any attempt to disrupt its annual Victory Day celebrations in Moscow would trigger a retaliatory missile attack on central Kiev. The Russian Foreign Ministry said this week that it urged accredited embassies to take the threat seriously and evacuate staff and citizens from the Ukrainian capital.
Moscow’s proposal for a Victory Day ceasefire follows increased drone attacks, including some deep inside Russia. On Friday, Zelensky said Ukraine had struck a Russian refinery in Yaroslavl, more than 700 kilometers from the border.
The strikes sparked security jitters around the annual commemoration of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Moscow has announced for the first time since 2007 that there will be no heavy weapons at this year’s parade.
This article was generated from an automated news agency source without text modification.
