Russia Accused of Violating Unilateral Ceasefire with Drone and Missile Attacks

Kathmandu. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of violating the unilateral ceasefire proposed by Ukraine with large-scale drone and missile attacks overnight. According to Kyiv, the attack has further weakened peace efforts.

According to the Ukrainian side, Russia launched 108 combat drones and three missiles in a single night. Although the ceasefire called by Ukraine was supposed to come into effect from midnight on May 6, Moscow has not given any formal indication of accepting it.

President Volodymyr Zelensky had said a few days ago that Russia had announced a short-term ceasefire in view of the Victory Day parade on May 9. But according to Kyiv, the recent attacks show that Moscow's real objective is not peace but prioritizing military display.

In this context, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sibyga criticized Russia's move on social media, commenting that Moscow has rejected peace and the alleged ceasefire call is merely 'propaganda, not diplomacy'. According to him, it is clear that Russia prioritizes military display over human lives.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia had launched a series of drone, missile, and bomb attacks on various cities in Ukraine, in which at least 28 people were killed and dozens injured, according to the Ukrainian side. In counter-attacks by Ukraine, five people were killed in Crimea and two people were killed in long-range drone attacks in Russia's interior region.

The ongoing war since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 has become Europe's largest conflict. No significant progress has been made in the talks held so far.

Russia has been demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the eastern region and reject Western military aid, which Kyiv has rejected as conditions tantamount to surrender.

Meanwhile, Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 53 Ukrainian drones between 21:00 and 07:00 (1800-0400 GMT) at night. However, Moscow has not provided clear details as to whether these incidents were related to the ceasefire announcement by Kyiv.