On Tuesday, Russian drone and missile strikes tragically claimed at least 22 lives and left over 80 injured across Ukraine. These attacks occurred just hours before Ukraine had intended to implement a ceasefire, and only days before a temporary halt announced by Moscow.
In the afternoon, glide bombs devastated the Ukrainian cities of Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv, resulting in the deaths of at least 17 civilians and injuring 45 others. The Associated Press reported that overnight assaults further contributed to the toll, with five more people killed and 39 wounded.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his frustration on X, denouncing the attacks by stating, “Absolute cynicism — to demand silence for holding propagandistic celebrations and then deliver such missile and drone strikes on all the days leading up to it.”
Emergency services were seen battling a vehicle fire caused by a Russian drone attack in the Kyiv region on May 5, 2026, as captured in a photograph by the Ukrainian Emergency Service and distributed by the Associated Press.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia holds the power to halt the conflict at any moment. “Every day, Russia could cease fire, and that would stop the war and our responses. Peace is needed, and real steps are required for it. Ukraine will act in kind,” he declared.
“Every day, Russia could cease fire, and that would stop the war and our responses. Peace is needed, and real steps are required for it. Ukraine will act in kind,” he said.
Russia’s Defense Ministry previously said it would impose a unilateral ceasefire on Friday and Saturday for Victory Day, but warned it would retaliate if Ukraine disrupts events, The Associated Press reported.
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site following a Russian air attack in Zaporizhzhia on May 5, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Darya Nazarova/AFP)
The United Nations welcomed the moves, with Secretary-General António Guterres urging a full ceasefire.
Guterres called for “a full, immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire, leading to a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace, in line with the U.N. Charter, international law and relevant U.N. resolutions,” The Associated Press reported.
Victory Day, observed each year on May 9 in Russia, marks the Allied victory over Nazi Germany.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky held a joint press conference with Spain’s Prime Minister at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid on March 18, 2026. (Javier Soriano/AFP)
Russia has previously announced short holiday truces — most recently for Orthodox Easter — but they have failed to hold amid persistent mistrust between the two countries.
During that ceasefire, Ukraine’s military reported more than 2,200 violations, including shelling, assaults and drone activity.
Russia’s Defense Ministry, in turn, accused Ukrainian forces of nearly 2,000 breaches, including strikes in border regions that it said injured civilians.
