KYIV, Ukraine: Russia shot down dozens of drones in Ukraine in overnight strikes, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, defying a unilateral ceasefire announced by Kiev that began at midnight.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine had violated its ceasefire, saying that air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday night and Wednesday dawn.
There was no official sign from Moscow that it would consider Kiev’s ceasefire and there was little hope of a pause in hostilities as the war enters its fifth year following Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor. US-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war over the past year have failed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the move after Russia said it would maintain its unilateral ceasefire over two days later this week as it marked the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two. The Ukrainian leader said any violation of the ceasefire would trigger a military response.
Russian forces launched 108 drones and three missiles overnight, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, with attacks continuing throughout the night and into Wednesday morning.
“Moscow once again ignored the realistic and fair call to end hostilities, supported by other states and international organizations,” Sybiha said in a post on X.
On Tuesday, Russian drone and missile attacks in Ukraine killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 80 others, authorities said.
