Russia and Ukraine declared unilateral ceasefires starting this week, ahead of commemorations held by Russia to mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany on Saturday.
Russia said it would hold a ceasefire on 8 and 9 May and threatened a “massive missile strike” on central Kyiv if Ukraine violated the truce.
But Kyiv announced it would observe an open-ended ceasefire from midnight on 6 May, and that Ukraine would act “symmetrically” from that point on.
Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Kyrylo Budanov said that if the ceasefire announced by the Ukrainian president was reciprocated, “we will continue to observe it… The next move is Russia’s”.
Shortly after the warring sides announced the moves, five people were killed and dozens injured in combined missile and drone strikes across Ukraine overnight.
In Russia, authorities in the Chuvash Republic said two people were killed and 32 injured in a drone attack on Tuesday morning.
The two ceasefires appear to be unilateral – meaning the two sides have not agreed on their terms, length or monitoring.
“We have made our proposal,” Zelensky said, urging Russia to lay down arms “and move to real diplomacy”.
“It’s utter cynicism to ask for silence to hold propaganda celebrations and to launch such missile-drone attacks every day beforehand,” he added.
Ukraine’s earlier, open-ended truce is likely a way for Zelensky to show that his country is willing to start an immediate and lasting ceasefire and that any violations will be pinned on Russia.
“We believe that human life is of incomparably greater value than the ‘celebration’ of any anniversary,” he wrote on Telegram.
Ahead of its own midnight ceasefire on Wednesday (Tuesday 22:00 GMT), Ukraine also launched a series of aerial attacks on Russia, hitting an industrial area in Kirishi in the Leningrad region and a factory that produces military components in Cheboksary, in the Chuvash Republic.
Zelensky said domestically-produced Flamingo cruise missiles were used to strike the Cheboksary factory, some 1,500km (930 miles) away from the front line. An unverified nighttime video showed a fast-moving object and large explosion.
The Russian defence ministry later confirmed it had downed six Ukrainian Flamingos as well as 601 drones.
On Tuesday morning, several airports across Russia were temporarily shut. Later, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that a number of drones had been downed near the capital.
The Kremlin has betrayed signs of nervousness ahead of Victory Day.
The 9 May celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, have grown in scale and pomp since the start of Vladimir Putin’s rule in the early 2000s.
But the Kremlin said that this year the centrepiece event – a grand military parade on Red Square – would be scaled down due to the “terrorist threat” from Ukraine, and that no heavy military hardware would be on display.
Muscovites were also warned that mobile internet access would be disrupted or cut off for several days in the lead-up to 9 May.
Zelensky said the fact Russia felt it couldn’t “hold a parade in Moscow without the goodwill of Ukraine” to observe a ceasefire meant that it was time for Russian leaders to “take steps to end their war”.
Ukraine has in recent weeks stepped up deep-strike drone attacks on Russia, successfully targeting energy facilities and oil refineries and disrupting the Russian oil trade.
Its drones can now fly deep into Russia, often eschewing air defences, and on Monday morning one hit a high-rise in central Moscow.
Meanwhile, Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian cities continue to kill and maim civilians across the country. Thousands have died since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
By BBC News
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