At least 27 people were killed and dozens of others injured in Russian attacks in eastern Ukraine late Tuesday, hours before a ceasefire proposed by Kiev unilaterally came into effect at midnight Wednesday (2100 GMT).
“Just hours into Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal, Russia has shown no signs of readiness to end hostilities,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiha wrote on social media. “On the contrary, Moscow increases terror.”
At least 12 people were killed and 20 injured in the south-eastern city of Zaporizhia after a Russian attack with aerial bombs guided by Iranian-designed Shahid drones.
“A deplorable attack on facilities in the city of Zaporizhia,” City Council Secretary Rehina Kharchenko told Reuters news agency. “After the hit, the enemy started deliberately attacking those locations with martyred drones.”
Further north, six people were killed and 12 wounded when powerful glide bombs struck the border town of Kramatorsk, four people were killed in Dnipro and five were killed in attacks on gas production facilities in the Poltava region.
Zelensky condemns ‘reprehensible, disgusting’ attacks
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Poltava attack was “particularly gruesome” because Russia, like Zaporizhia, had launched a second missile at the same target while emergency rescue teams were working at the scene.
“These are absolutely reprehensible, senseless terrorist attacks without any military sense,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram. “Such Russian attacks on our cities and villages do not stop even for a day.”
The attacks came after five people were killed and 39 injured on Monday night and Moscow announced it would observe a ceasefire on Friday and Saturday this weekend as Russia celebrates the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it would retaliate if Ukraine tried to disrupt celebrations on Victory Day, which Russia celebrates each year on May 9 – but in the meantime it has continued bombing Ukrainian cities.
“Russia can stop firing at any moment, and that will stop the war and our reactions,” Zelensky said, chiding Moscow for “complete skepticism” in continuing its attacks. “Peace is needed, and real steps are needed to achieve it. Ukraine will act accordingly.”
Ukraine’s attacks on Russia continue
Meanwhile, before the unilateral ceasefire came into effect at midnight, Ukraine also continued its attacks on targets inside Russia, targeting oil facilities in an effort to further disrupt Moscow’s war economy.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces launched their F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at targets including military-industrial complex facilities in Cheboksary, more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) away. The regional health ministry said three people were injured.
Ukrainian drones also reportedly attacked the Kirishi oil refinery in the northern Leningrad region, close to St. Petersburg, causing a fire in the city’s industrial area.
As Ukraine’s midnight deadline passed, officials in Russian-occupied Crimea announced that five civilians were killed in the town of Dzhankoi in a Ukrainian drone strike, which was likely launched before the deadline.
In total, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones in 18 Russian regions.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery