MOSCOW, May 8 (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of violating a two-day unilateral ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
Four years after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which triggered the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, Russia and Ukraine are still attacking each other with missiles, drones and artillery.
With no victory yet in sight for either side in a bitter war of attrition, Putin announced a ceasefire on May 8-9 to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany — Russia’s most revered national holiday.
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Kiev responded that a holiday-only ceasefire was inadequate and instead called for an indefinite truce to begin two days earlier, which Moscow ignored.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 264 Ukrainian drones were shot down in the early hours of Friday, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the capital had been targeted and authorities said the Perm region in the Urals had been attacked with drones.
“Despite the declaration of a ceasefire, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continued to launch attacks using unmanned aerial vehicles and artillery against the positions of our troops, as well as against civilian facilities in the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Russia warned that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the Victory Day military parade in Red Square on Saturday would lead to a massive missile attack on Kiev. Moscow told foreign diplomats that if Ukraine attacks the event, they must evacuate the Ukrainian capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that Russian forces continued to attack Ukrainian positions throughout Friday night, which he said showed that Russia had not made ‘even a symbolic attempt to cease fire at the front’.
‘Just as we did in the last 24 hours, Ukraine will also respond in the same way today. We will defend our positions and people’s lives,’ said Zelenskiy.
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The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II, including many millions in Ukraine, but pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Adolf Hitler committed suicide and the red flag of Soviet victory was raised over the Reichstag in May 1945.
This year’s parade in Moscow — usually a display of Russian military might with intercontinental ballistic missiles and tanks — will not have any military equipment on display due to the threat of attack from Ukraine.
