“Ukraine Will Respond in Kind”: Kyiv Accuses Russia of Breaking Ceasefire with Massive Attacks

Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of violating a unilateral ceasefire proposed by Kyiv after another wave of overnight strikes involving drones and missiles hit cities across the country. Ukrainian officials said the attacks continued only hours before the truce suggested by Kyiv was supposed to take effect at midnight on Wednesday.

According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia launched more than 100 combat drones and three missiles during the night. The strikes killed at least 27 people and left dozens injured in several regions of eastern and central Ukraine. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Moscow had shown “no signs of preparing to end hostilities” despite ongoing discussions about a temporary ceasefire.

In a statement posted on social media, Sybiha argued that Russia was escalating attacks instead of moving toward de-escalation. “Moscow intensifies terror,” he wrote, later adding that the Kremlin’s separate proposal for a ceasefire around Russia’s Victory Day celebrations had “nothing to do with diplomacy.” He accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of caring more about military parades than civilian lives.

One of the deadliest attacks struck the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, where officials said Russian guided bombs were followed by waves of Shahed drones. Local authorities reported that at least 12 people were killed and another 20 injured. City Council Secretary Rehina Kharchenko described the attack as deliberate and calculated, saying emergency sites were targeted again after the initial strike.

Elsewhere, six people were killed in the frontline city of Kramatorsk after glide bombs hit residential areas. Four people died in Dnipro, while another five were killed in attacks on gas infrastructure in the Poltava region.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes, describing them as “absolutely cynical, senseless terrorist strikes devoid of any military sense.” He said the attack on Poltava was especially brutal because a second missile reportedly hit while rescue teams were already working at the scene. Zelensky argued that Russia had ignored Ukraine’s proposal for a broader ceasefire and diplomacy, insisting that the Kremlin continued to respond only with new attacks.

Kyiv also accused Russia of violating the ceasefire within hours of its proposed start. Zelensky claimed that during the first ten hours alone, Russian forces committed more than 1,800 violations, including drone attacks and strikes on civilian infrastructure. He warned that Ukraine would react accordingly. “Ukraine will act in kind,” he said, adding that Kyiv’s future actions around Russia’s Victory Day events would depend on developments over the coming hours.

The latest escalation unfolded as Moscow prepared for annual Victory Day commemorations on May 9, marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Earlier this week, Russia announced its own temporary truce for May 8 and 9. Ukraine rejected the limited timeframe and instead proposed a ceasefire beginning on May 6 in an attempt to test whether a genuine halt in fighting was possible.

Russia has meanwhile warned that any attempt to disrupt Victory Day celebrations would trigger retaliation. Security concerns have already affected the events. Authorities in Russian-occupied Crimea canceled public celebrations altogether, while the Kremlin reportedly scaled back this year’s military parade in Moscow out of concern that military equipment could become a target.

At the same time, Ukraine continued long-range strikes inside Russian territory before its own ceasefire deadline came into force. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces launched F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles against military-industrial targets in Cheboksary, more than 900 miles from Ukraine. Regional authorities reported several injuries.

Ukrainian drones also reportedly struck the Kirishi oil refinery in Russia’s Leningrad region, causing a fire in an industrial area. Russian officials later claimed their air defenses had intercepted nearly 300 Ukrainian drones across 18 regions.

In occupied Crimea, Russian-installed authorities reported that five civilians were killed in the town of Dzhankoi in what they described as a Ukrainian drone attack launched shortly before the ceasefire deadline expired.