Ukraine said Russia was attacking across the front line on Thursday, calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a three-day truce, which he said would take effect Thursday morning, a “farce.”
The Russian army said it was responding to Ukrainian attacks but observing the truce, which Putin unilaterally ordered to coincide with a massive parade in Moscow to mark Victory Day, which Russia observes ever May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union’s 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany’s invading forces.
Putin’s guest of honor this year, China’s President Xi Jinping, was already in Moscow Thursday ahead of the Victory Day events. He’s the most powerful of several world leaders attending to show that, despite international sanctions and widespread condemnation of Putin’s so-called “special military operation” in Ukraine, the Russian leader does have friends.
“Predictably, Putin’s ‘Parade ceasefire’ proves to be a farce,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said Thursday. “Russian forces continue to attack across the entire front line. From midnight to midday, Russia carried out 734 ceasefire violations and 63 assault operations.”
Ukraine would respond and share all information with its allies, Sybiga said.
Though Kyiv never agreed to the three-day truce, Russia accused Ukraine of violating it.
“The Russian Armed Forces are strictly observing the ceasefire. This includes no strikes by aircraft, missile forces, artillery or unmanned aerial vehicles,” Russia’s defense ministry said during a briefing. “Despite the announcement of the ceasefire, Ukrainian army units have not ceased hostilities against Russian troops.”
Alina Smutko/REUTERS
Ukraine’s air force earlier reported Russian guided bomb strikes on the northern region of Sumy.
“No missile attacks or attack drones were recorded in Ukrainian airspace. However, during the night, the enemy intensified tactical aviation strikes using guided aerial bombs in the Sumy region,” the air force said, after reporting several launches in the morning.
Earlier in the day, Russia struck a residential area near the town of Bilopillya, close to the border between Sumy and Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine’s emergency services said.