A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia took effect on Thursday morning, bringing a lull to the skies over Ukraine’s major cities, a stark contrast to the successive nights of intense attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s air force reported that despite the commencement of the Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire, Russian aircraft twice launched guided bombs on the Sumy region in northern Ukraine. Details regarding damage were unavailable, and Reuters could not independently verify these attacks.
The Russian ceasefire, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War Two, began at midnight Moscow time.
As part of the anniversary commemorations, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in Moscow and is scheduled to review a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9th.
Ukraine has not committed to observing the Kremlin’s ceasefire, denouncing it as a ploy by Putin to create a false impression of seeking an end to the war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin maintains his commitment to achieving peace.
Ukraine launched a series of drone attacks on Moscow this week, leading to the closure of airports in the Russian capital and the grounding of airliners.
Apart from the Ukrainian air force’s reports concerning the two guided bomb launches, there were no other reports in Ukraine of any Russian long-range drones or missiles being launched on Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday.
As of 3:45 am, the capital Kyiv was quiet, a significant change from 24 hours prior when the city had been rattled by the sounds of explosions from waves of Russian airborne attacks and outgoing Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.
It was not immediately clear whether there was a pause in fighting along the frontlines between Russian and Ukrainian forces. A Reuters witness near the front in eastern Ukraine reported early on Thursday that they could hear no sounds of fighting.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Wednesday that his country stood by its offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.
“We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
He noted that Russia had made no response to the 30-day offer, except for launching new strikes.
“This clearly and obviously demonstrates to everyone who the source of the war is,” the Ukrainian president added.
Zelensky also appeared to acknowledge the numerous drone attacks that have been targeting Russian sites, including the city of Moscow, as the World War Two commemorations approached.
“It is absolutely fair that Russian skies, the skies of the aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way,” he said on Wednesday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, in several posts on the Telegram messaging app over a five-hour period, reported that 14 drones headed for the capital had been repelled or destroyed. This occurred before the Kremlin-sponsored three-day ceasefire took effect.
The United States proposed the 30-day ceasefire in March, and Ukraine agreed. Russia has stated that such a measure could only be implemented after mechanisms to enforce and uphold it are established.
Both countries are facing pressure from US President Donald Trump to swiftly end the war, the largest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed surprise at remarks from US envoy Keith Kellogg suggesting that Putin might be obstructing a comprehensive ceasefire.
“The only obstacle to the ceasefire is Kyiv, which violates agreements and is unwilling to seriously discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire,” Zakharova asserted.
