Ukraine Accuses Russia of Breaking Kyiv-Initiated Ceasefire with Overnight Strikes
Ukraine accused Russia of violating a ceasefire that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy initiated at midnight on Tuesday, with officials reporting one person killed and three wounded across northern and eastern regions. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha made the accusation directly on X. “Russia violated the ceasefire initiated by Ukraine at midnight between May 5th and 6th,” he wrote, adding that Russian attacks continued through the night and into Wednesday morning.
Sybiha targeted Moscow’s credibility on the issue. “This shows that Russia rejects peace and its fake calls for a ceasefire on May 9th have nothing to do with diplomacy,” he said. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “only cares about military parades, not human lives,” a pointed reference to Moscow’s announcement of a separate ceasefire for 8–9 May, timed to coincide with its World War Two victory commemorations and a Red Square parade.
Strikes Hit Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Beyond
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia launched two ballistic missiles, one cruise missile and 108 drones since 6pm local time on Tuesday. In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, drones damaged seven private buildings and left two people requiring medical attention. In Zaporizhzhia, where earlier strikes on Tuesday killed 12 people, Russian forces struck an industrial facility overnight. A drone attack in the Sumy region killed one civilian and wounded another; Kryvyi Rih also sustained infrastructure damage.
Overall, Russia killed at least 27 people across Ukraine on Tuesday alone, hours before Kyiv’s ceasefire deadline. Ukraine had urged Moscow to reciprocate its open-ended truce proposal, with Zelenskyy warning his forces would respond “symmetrically” if Russia refused.
