Escalating Tensions: Ukraine Faces New Wave of Russian Attacks Amid Proposed Ceasefire
Nighttime Strikes Leave Casualties in Ukraine
In Kyiv, Ukrainian officials reported that recent Russian drone and missile assaults on the nation's power infrastructure resulted in the deaths of at least five individuals and left 39 others injured.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Moscow's actions, labeling them as 'utterly cynical' given that Russia had just proposed a ceasefire to coincide with the upcoming 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
Zelenskyy emphasized in a post on X that Russia could halt its aggression at any moment, which would lead to an end to the conflict and Ukraine's responses. He stressed the necessity for peace and urged for genuine efforts to achieve it.
The proposed ceasefire follows a pattern where Russia has previously declared short-lived unilateral ceasefires during significant holidays, such as Orthodox Easter, which have not led to any meaningful outcomes due to the prevailing distrust between Moscow and Kyiv, more than four years after the full-scale invasion began.
The Russian Defence Ministry announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday but warned that any attempts to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations on May 9 would be met with retaliation.
In response, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would observe a ceasefire starting at midnight on Wednesday, without specifying an end date.
Overnight, Russian forces launched 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 strike drones against Ukraine, including a variant of the jet-powered Shahed drone, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.
Ukrainian air defense managed to intercept 149 drones and one missile, although some did manage to breach defenses. Two ballistic missiles reportedly failed to hit their intended targets.
Since the onset of the conflict on February 24, 2022, Russia has consistently targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure, including natural gas facilities in the central Poltava and northeastern Kharkiv regions, as reported by the state energy company Naftogaz Group.
Naftogaz indicated that its facilities have faced attacks 107 times since the beginning of the year.
Zelenskyy condemned the attack on Poltava as particularly heinous, noting that a second missile was fired at the same site while emergency responders were present.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko remarked that Russia's primary targets include energy facilities, oil and gas infrastructure, railways, and industrial sites, with collateral damage affecting homes, businesses, and transportation networks.
Svyrydenko characterized Russia's ceasefire proposals as mere rhetoric.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its long-range strikes on Russian territories, seemingly targeting oil facilities.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones overnight across 18 regions, with drones also being intercepted over the annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Azov Sea.
In a separate incident, a Ukrainian drone strike injured three individuals in Cheboksary, a city located east of Moscow, over 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, according to the regional health ministry.
Additionally, Ukrainian drones targeted the Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg, igniting a fire in the industrial area, as reported by local Governor Alexander Drozdenko, who noted that 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the operation.