Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday accused Russia of continuing strikes against his country despite a unilateral ceasefire proposed by Kyiv earlier this week. In a statement on the US social media platform X, Zelenskyy claimed that Ukraine has recorded 'around 100 attack drones, dozens of assault actions on key frontline directions, as well as dozens of air strikes' from midnight Wednesday through the morning.
According to Anadolu Agency, Zelenskyy said that 'significant damage' to civilian infrastructure has been recorded in the country's Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, as well as strikes on locomotives and infrastructure belonging to Ukraine's national railway company Ukrzaliznytsia in several regions. Expressing that Ukraine's energy system remains a 'constant Russian target,' Zelenskyy argued that continued strikes show Russia is 'not seriously' considering a ceasefire and has violated Kyiv's proposed ceasefire since it took effect.
'In a mirror response to Russian strikes, we will continue our long-range sanctions. And in response to Russia's willingness to move toward diplomacy, we will proceed along the path of diplomacy,' he added. Kyiv announced on Monday that it would observe a unilateral ceasefire starting at midnight Tuesday (2100GMT), though Zelenskyy has accused Moscow of "spurning" his country's ceasefire proposal through strikes carried out since then.
The same day, Russia also announced that it will implement its own unilateral ceasefire on May 8-9 on the occasion of Victory Day celebrations, hoping that the Ukrainian side will follow suit. Ukraine's Air Force claimed on Telegram earlier Thursday that its air defenses shot down 92 out of 102 drones launched by Russia overnight.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov said Thursday morning that the northeastern region's administrative center and 15 settlements were subjected to attacks over the past days, injuring eight people. Synyehubov later reported that seven people were injured following a drone strike in Kharkiv city's Novobavarskyi district. Casualties were also reported by local authorities in the southern Kherson and northeastern Sumy regions, with one person reported killed.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that it struck transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as launch sites for drones and temporary deployment points. It also claimed that the country's air defenses shot down 474 Ukrainian drones between 9 pm Moscow time on Wednesday (1800GMT) and midday Thursday (0900GMT).