Russia And Ukraine Accuse Each Other Of Violating U.S.-Brokered Three-Day Ceasefire During Victory Day

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a three-day US-brokered ceasefire during Victory Day celebrations, with fighting continuing across the front line despite a temporary reduction in large-scale aerial strikes.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported 144 combat clashes on May 10 and said Russian forces used more than 5,000 kamikaze drones and shelled populated areas and Ukrainian positions over 1,500 times.

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In Kharkiv, a Russian drone struck a residential apartment building in the city’s Industrialnyi district during the declared truce period, and Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said five people were injured, including two children.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking after telling soldiers at a scaled-down parade in Moscow that they were fighting an "aggressive force" in Ukraine, asserted later that the war was "heading to an end" despite ceasefire violations.

The BBC also framed the moment as a test of the truce, describing the ceasefire as marked by mutual accusations of violations while no major strikes were reported, despite continued drone activity and civilian casualties on both sides.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had stopped air attacks on Ukrainian cities since the short ceasefire went into effect on Saturday, but continued fighting on the frontlines.

Zelensky also threatened to "respond in kind" if Moscow escalates attacks on Ukraine after the ceasefire period, and the Kyiv Post reported he tied the warning to Ukraine’s near-daily strikes against Russian oil facilities.

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The BBC reported that Labour Minister Tahmina Akhter said the government would launch an immediate investigation and "hold the owners fully accountable"—a contrast to the Ukraine coverage, where Zelensky’s statements were framed around retaliation and sanctions.

In Moscow, Putin told reporters that Western support for Kyiv had gone too far and said, "I think it (the conflict) is heading to an end but it's still a serious matter."

Russian officials, meanwhile, said the ceasefire was not being observed, with the Russian defense ministry accusing Ukrainian armed formations of strikes using UAVs and artillery and claiming Russian forces were responding "symmetrically" to alleged violations.

The ceasefire was also tied to a prisoner exchange, with the Kremlin said there were no plans to prolong the truce and that the warring sides agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each during the truce.

“(Actualisé avec accusations de la Russie) L'Ukraine et la Russie se sont mutuellement accusées lundi de violations du cessez-le-feu entré en vigueur le 9 mai, Kyiv signalant notamment des attaques de drones et Moscou des frappes d'artillerie”

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Zelensky said Ukraine has submitted to the Russian side a list of 1,000 detainees for the planned prisoner exchange, and he added, "The prisoner exchange, 1,000 for 1,000, is being prepared and must take place."

Russia’s defense ministry claimed Ukrainian forces shelled Russian positions 676 times in one day, launched more than 6,300 drone-related strikes, and carried out eight assault attempts, while Moscow claimed the total number of ceasefire violations exceeded 16,000.

Ukraine’s General Staff said Russian forces attacked Ukrainian positions 60 times on Sunday, and Sky News reported that Ukrainian officials said at least three people had been killed in Russian strikes over the past 24 hours.

El País said both sides had halted long-range bombings but that at least three civilians died and several more were wounded in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, while Zelensky warned that if Russia resumes large-scale war, actions would be "immediate and decisive".