Mr. Zelensky criticized Russia for ‘faking’ the ceasefire

“Russia can cease fire at any time. We will also stop responding and the fighting will end. Peace is necessary, practical steps are needed to achieve that goal,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today.

He accused Russia of “fake calling for a ceasefire just to celebrate, while still conducting missile and drone attacks every day until close to the ceasefire.”

Russia launched 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones over Ukraine last night. President Zelensky said that Russia mainly targets energy infrastructure.

The attack left four people dead in Poltava province. Ukraine’s emergency agency said Russia launched four missiles at the same location that was previously attacked by the drone, causing a large explosion. Another person died in Kharkiv.

Russia previously announced a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine for two days, May 8-9, while Kiev also announced its own ceasefire on May 5-6. May 8-9 this year is when Moscow celebrates the 81st anniversary of Victory Day in World War II. Russia warned that if Ukraine intended to sabotage the event, Moscow would launch a “large-scale” retaliatory missile attack against the center of Kiev.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces targeted Ukraine’s defense industry and energy facilities, in response to “attacks on civilian targets in Russia”. Russia also said it shot down more than 300 Ukrainian drones from the evening of May 4 to the morning of May 5, causing many airports across the country to temporarily suspend operations in the morning.

On May 5, a Ukrainian drone crashed into an apartment building in the Russian city of Cheboksary, about 1,000 km from the front line. The Russian Investigative Committee said there were “dead and injured”, but did not release specific numbers.

Short-term ceasefires between Russia and Ukraine are not uncommon. The two sides paused long-range attacks during the Orthodox Easter holiday last month. However, there is no sign that this more than four-year war is about to be resolved through negotiations.

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko said that the reciprocal ceasefires were just a “tactical battle” on the political front.