Zelenskiy slams Russian truce offer plus deadly attacks
At least five people were killed and 39 others were injured in Russian drone and missile attacks targeting Ukraine’s power grid, Ukrainian officials said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy chastised Moscow for “complete skepticism” in launching attacks after Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire for two days as it marked the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
In a post on
“Peace is needed and real steps are needed to achieve it. Ukraine will do the same.”
The ceasefire proposal follows a familiar pattern of Russia declaring short-term unilateral ceasefires during the war coinciding with various holidays (most recently Orthodox Easter); These ceasefires are not producing any tangible results amid deep mistrust between Moscow and Kiev more than four years after Russia began an all-out invasion of its neighbor.
The Russian defense ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine on Friday and Saturday, but said it would respond to the country if it tried to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations, which Russia celebrates every year on May 9.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine will implement a ceasefire starting from midnight on Wednesday and will respond in kind to Russia’s actions from that moment on.
He did not set an end date for the ceasefire.
Ukrainian Air Force said Russian forces fired 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 attack aircraft at Ukraine from Monday to Tuesday, including the jet-powered Shahed drone variant.
It was stated that air defense units stopped 149 unmanned aerial vehicles and one missile, but the others were successful.
The air force said two ballistic missiles failed to reach their targets, without elaborating.
Russia has repeatedly damaged Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the war that started in February 2022.
State energy company Naftogaz Group said the plane hit natural gas production facilities in Ukraine’s central Poltava and northeastern Kharkiv regions.
The company said that Naftogaz facilities have been attacked 107 times since the beginning of 2026.
Zelenskiy said the Poltava attack was “especially despicable” because Russia launched a second missile at the same target while emergency rescue teams were working at the scene.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that Russia’s main targets were energy facilities, oil and gas infrastructure, railways and industrial sites, but the attacks also damaged homes, workplaces and the transportation network.
Svyrydenko said Russia’s ceasefire proposals “remain merely statements.”
Ukraine has also stepped up its long-range strikes against Russia’s rear areas, apparently targeting more oil facilities.
Russia’s defense ministry said its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones in 18 Russian regions overnight.
It was stated that unmanned aerial vehicles were also seized over the Crimean Peninsula and the Sea of Azov, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Three people were injured in the Ukrainian drone strike in the city of Cheboksary, east of Moscow and more than 900 km from the Ukrainian border, the regional health ministry said.
Local governor Alexander Drozdenko said Ukrainian drones also attacked the Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad region near St Petersburg, causing a fire in the town’s industrial area.
Drozdenko said on social media that 29 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the attack.
There was no loss of life.
