Ukraine launches major aerial assault after Russia spurns ceasefire call and presses attacks
Zelensky said Russian forces continued to strike Ukrainian positions during the night on Friday, with not so much as "even a token attempt to cease fire on the front"
Ukraine allegedly struck Russian military-industrial sites overnight on Thursday, targeting a defense center and an oil refinery, as Moscow and Kyiv traded accusations of violating a two-day ceasefire called by Moscow to cover the celebrations of the Soviet Union's WWII victory.
The Russian Defence Ministry said 264 Ukrainian drones had been downed in the early hours of Friday, while Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the capital had had been attacked with drones.
Moscow earlier in the week unilaterally announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, when it holds the annual military parade in Moscow to celebrate the 1945 victory, yet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces continued to strike Ukrainian positions during the night on Friday, with not so much as "even a token attempt to cease fire on the front."
Zelensky had in turn proposed an open-ended ceasefire starting on May 6, which he said Russia has violated. Neither side agreed to the other's proposals.
Zelensky said that as of 7 a.m. local time Russia carried out over 140 strikes on Kyiv's frontline positions. Russian forces carried out 10 assaults during the night and launched more than 850 drone strikes, he added.
"As we did over the past 24 hours, Ukraine will respond in kind today as well. We will defend our positions and people's lives," Zelensky said.
“They want Ukraine’s permission to hold their parade — so they can safely take to the square for an hour once a year, and then go back to killing our people and waging war,” Zelensky said in a video address on Thursday.