A firefighter trying to douse flames at a private building in Kharkiv hit by a Russian strike. Photograph: Sergey Kozlov/EPA
Dozens of civilians were killed in Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities despite a unilateral 24-hour ceasefire announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Moscow had requested a truce on Saturday for its annual military parade in Red Square, but instead intensified strikes, unleashing over 100 combat drones and three missiles overnight.
Deadly Strikes Across Ukraine
On Tuesday, 28 civilians were killed in bomb and missile strikes in the Donetsk, Poltava, and Dnipro regions, with dozens more injured. The attacks targeted busy urban areas, including Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, condemned the assault, stating, 'This shows fake calls for a ceasefire on May 9th have nothing to do with diplomacy. Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives.'
Ukraine Calls for Stronger Action
Sybiga urged the international community to increase pressure on Russia, including new sanctions, isolation, accountability for war crimes, and enhanced support for Ukraine. The drone and bomb attacks were the deadliest in Ukraine in weeks, coinciding with a slowdown in Russian battlefield advances. For the first time since 2024, Russian forces lost more territory in April than they gained.
Russia's Parade Preparations
The Kremlin has taken extensive security measures for Saturday's Victory Day parade, including transferring air defence systems to Moscow and shutting down mobile internet. For the first time in nearly 20 years, the parade will feature no tanks or ballistic missiles. It remains unclear whether Ukraine will attempt to disrupt the event or target Russian oil infrastructure and military-industrial sites.
Russia's defence ministry claimed to have downed 53 Ukrainian drones, far fewer than in previous days, without specifying if any attacks occurred after the ceasefire took effect at midnight. Peace talks remain stalled, with Putin refusing to moderate demands made during his 2022 invasion, including territorial concessions and the removal of Ukraine's pro-western government.
