Russia-Ukraine ceasefire crumbles within hours after drone, missile attacks reported

Ukraine reported Russian drone attacks just hours after a unilaterally announced ceasefire was supposed to begin.

Several people died and dozens were injured by a series of glide bomb attacks in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to local authorities. Source: AAP / 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade press service

In brief

• Ukrainian officials say Russia launched a drone attack just hours after a truce it announced was supposed to begin.
• Russia's Defence Ministry said Ukraine had failed to honour its own ceasefire declaration.

Russia and Ukraine's latest attempt at a limited ceasefire has unravelled, with both sides accusing the other of violations as drones and missiles struck targets overnight and into Wednesday.

Just hours after a unilateral truce announced by Ukraine was supposed to begin at midnight, Ukrainian officials say Russia launched dozens of drones — underscoring how little confidence remains in temporary pauses in the war, now in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion.

In northeastern Ukraine, two Russian drones reportedly struck a kindergarten in downtown Sumy on Wednesday, killing a security guard and wounding two others, officials said.

Russia's Defence Ministry said Ukraine had failed to honour its own ceasefire declaration, claiming its air defences shot down 53 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea.

In Crimea, the Russia-installed governor Sergei Aksyonov said five people were killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the city of Dzhankoi. Aksyonov reported the casualties shortly after midnight, though he had posted about the attack itself more than 90 minutes earlier.

There had been little indication beforehand that Russia intended to follow Ukraine's ceasefire initiative.

United States-led diplomatic efforts over the past year have failed to secure a broader halt to the fighting, and the latest exchange reinforced expectations that both sides remain far apart on conditions for any truce.

Deadly attacks precede truce declaration

The renewed attacks came after a deadly escalation earlier this week, with Ukrainian interior minister Ihor Klymenko saying Russian drone and missile strikes on Tuesday killed 27 civilians and wounded 120 others across Ukraine.

On Tuesday, powerful Russian glide bombs reportedly hit the eastern city of Kramatorsk, the southern city of Zaporizhzhia and the northern city of Chernihiv, killing at least 17 civilians and wounding dozens more, according to Ukrainian officials. Overnight strikes before that killed five more people and injured 39.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned what he called Russia's "utter cynicism" in launching attacks while simultaneously preparing to declare its own temporary ceasefire tied to Victory Day commemorations marking the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two.

"Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses," Zelenskyy wrote on X.

"Peace is needed, and real steps are needed to achieve it. Ukraine will act in kind."

Victory Day on 9 May is one of Russia's most important national holidays and a centrepiece of President Vladimir Putin's political messaging.

Russia's Defence Ministry announced a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, but warned it would retaliate if Ukraine attempted to disrupt the celebrations.

The ministry threatened a "massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv" if Ukrainian forces targeted Victory Day events, and warned civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to leave the capital if necessary.

Zelenskyy responded by saying Ukraine would begin observing a ceasefire earlier, starting at midnight Wednesday, and would respond according to Russia's actions from that point onward. He did not specify an end date.

The back-and-forth followed a familiar pattern seen during previous attempted pauses in fighting, including around Orthodox Easter, when both sides accused each other of continued attacks and the fighting largely continued unabated.

Security fears for Victory Day in Russia

Security concerns have already reshaped this year's Victory Day events in Russia, with officials scaling back military parades in Moscow and other cities because of fears of Ukrainian drone strikes deep inside Russian territory.

For the first time in nearly two decades, Moscow's Red Square parade is expected to proceed without tanks, missiles and other heavy military equipment.

Speaking earlier this week at a summit with European leaders in Armenia, Zelenskyy said Russian authorities "fear drones may buzz over Red Square" during the May 9 celebrations.

"This is telling," he said. "It shows they are not strong now, so we must keep up the pressure through sanctions on them."

Russian authorities have also imposed cellphone internet restrictions in Moscow and St Petersburg ahead of the holiday, according to Russian media reports, in an effort to guard against potential Ukrainian drone attacks.

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