Russia attacks Ukraine on the first day of self-declared ceasefire; 1 killed

Kyiv: Russia struck northeastern Ukraine on Thursday in the opening hours of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian President Vladimir Putin, killing one person, Ukrainian officials said.

The unilateral ceasefire coincides with the celebrations in Moscow for the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, Russia’s biggest secular holiday. Kyiv has pressed for a longer-term ceasefire.

Putin on Thursday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin. Xi, who Putin earlier described as “our main guest” at Friday’s Victory Day festivities, arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a four-day visit.

Russian forces dropped guided air bombs on residential areas near the border in the northeast Sumy region, killing one and wounded two people, the regional prosecutor’s office said. Ukraine’s air force also said at least one missile hit the Sumy region until early morning on Thursday.

Large-scale missile and drone attacks, which have been a near-daily occurrence in Ukraine in recent weeks, were not recorded since 8:30 p.m. (local time) Wednesday, the air force said. Smaller-scale Russian attacks persisted elsewhere in the country closer to the front line, causing civilian casualties, it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast doubt on the ceasefire, calling it “manipulation” as U.S.-led peace efforts stalled. “For some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire — just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” Zelenskyy said.

In March, the United States proposed a 30-day truce in the war, which Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more to its liking. In Russia, officials said that the regions of Belgorod, Lipetsk, Orenburg, Ryazan and Tambov came under a drone threat alert overnight, but there were no reports of any drones being shot down or intercepted. agencies