Kyiv: Russia struck civilian areas of Ukraine with drones in another deadly nighttime attack, officials said on Tuesday, as Kyiv officials dismissed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire next week as an attempt “to deceive the United States”.
The Russian attack damaged homes in Ukraine’s southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, authorities said, killing a 12-year-old girl and wounding three others,
including a six-year-old.
Russia also launched 20 drones and 31 powerful guided bombs at Kharkiv, the second-largest Ukrainian city. Debris from an intercepted Russian drone started a fire in a neighbourhood of the capital, Kyiv, according to officials.
Putin announced on Monday the temporary ceasefire. However, he hasn’t offered details on how the truce, which will start May 8 and last through the end of May 10, would be monitored. It marks Moscow’s defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, known as Victory Day, and comes more than three years after Russia invaded its neighbour.
Ukrainian officials scoffed at Putin’s ceasefire announcement.
Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Russia is still trying to break through the around 1,000-kilometre front line while also launching long-range attacks on civilian areas.
“Putin can give the order for his forces to stop,” Yermak said, “but he does not do this in the hope of deceiving everyone.”
Zelenskyy also accused Putin of trying to string
along the US.
“Russia has consistently rejected everything and continues to manipulate the world, trying to deceive the United States,” he said.