Zelensky Says Russia Launched 140+ Attacks Despite Putin’s Victory Day Ceasefire Claim

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating temporary Victory Day ceasefires as tensions remained high across the front lines and security measures intensified in Moscow ahead of annual May 9 celebrations.

İlke Haber Ajansı said Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a temporary ceasefire covering May 8 and 9, while Ukraine had earlier proposed a broader and indefinite truce beginning on May 6.

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Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed Ukrainian forces carried out more than 1,000 violations of the ceasefire within the first hours after it came into effect at midnight local time, including 153 artillery attacks and 887 drone strikes targeting Russian positions and civilian areas.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said there had been more than 140 attacks on Ukrainian positions and over 850 drone strikes during the first hours of the ceasefire period, arguing Russia had made “no genuine attempt” to halt hostilities.

The ceasefire dispute unfolded alongside reports of a major wildfire spreading across approximately 11 square kilometers near the Chornobyl exclusion zone, with Ukrainian emergency services battling the blaze while officials said radiation levels remained within normal safety limits despite the fire.

Al Jazeera reported that Zelensky dismissed the ceasefire as ineffective, saying Russia had carried out more than 140 attacks on front-line positions by early morning, alongside 10 assaults and more than 850 drone attacks.

In a Telegram update carried by Kyiv Post, Zelensky said Russian troops conducted 10 assault operations and launched over 850 drone strikes, adding that “All this clearly shows that there was not even an imitation of a ceasefire from the Russian side.”

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The Kyiv Independent framed Ukraine’s response as “long-range sanctions,” quoting Zelensky saying “Russia continues to kill people and is completely inadequately concerned only about a few hours of silence in one part of Moscow.”

On the Russian side, the Ilke Haber Ajansı account said Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated that approximately 20 drones were intercepted near the Russian capital shortly after the truce began, while officials reported drone-related incidents in Perm, Yaroslavl, and Rostov, as well as in Grozny.

The same Ilke Haber Ajansı report said Russia warned Ukraine against targeting the parade and threatened “massive retaliatory missile strikes” against central Kyiv in the event of an attack.

Ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade in Red Square, Russian authorities placed Moscow under heightened security, and for the first time in nearly two decades the parade was expected to proceed without displays of heavy military equipment.

İlke Haber Ajansı said Russia warned that if Ukraine disrupted the parade it would trigger “massive retaliatory missile strikes” against central Kyiv, and it reported that foreign diplomats were advised to leave Kyiv ahead of the celebrations due to heightened tensions.

The Straits Times reported that Russia told foreign diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine attacked the May 9 event, and it quoted Zelensky saying Russia has not made “even a token attempt” to cease fire on the front.

In parallel, Ilke Haber Ajansı said European officials discussed renewed diplomatic engagement, with António Costa saying there remained “potential” for future negotiations between the European Union and Russia aimed at ending the conflict.

The same Ilke Haber Ajansı account said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Russia remained open to dialogue but would not initiate contact itself, while the United States had previously mediated multiple rounds of indirect discussions between Moscow and Kyiv without a major breakthrough.