Russia Launches Massive Strikes After Ukraine Ceasefire Offer

Russian forces launched airstrikes with more than 100 drones and missiles against Ukraine overnight, disregarding a unilateral 30-hour ceasefire proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that took effect at midnight on Wednesday. The attacks targeted multiple cities including Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, marking a significant escalation following Russia's most deadly strikes of the year on Tuesday, which killed at least 28 civilians in the Donetsk, Poltava and Dnipro regions. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga condemned the attacks, stating that Russia's actions demonstrate that its calls for a ceasefire on May 9th "have nothing to do with diplomacy" and that "Putin only cares about military parades, not human lives." Russia has proposed its own temporary truce to cover May 8 and 9, coinciding with the annual Victory Day military parade in Moscow that commemorates the Soviet Union's triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II. The Kremlin has implemented extensive security measures for the parade, including transferring air defense systems to the capital and shutting down mobile internet networks. This marks the first time in nearly two decades that the parade will proceed without a display of tanks and ballistic missiles, likely due to recent Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian military infrastructure. Despite recent battlefield advances that have seen Russian forces make territorial gains in recent months, April marked the first month since 2024 in which Russia lost more territory than it gained. Ukrainian officials are calling for increased international pressure on Moscow, including new sanctions and enhanced military support. Putin has maintained demands from his 2022 full-scale invasion, including territorial concessions and the removal of Ukraine's pro-western government, while peace talks have shown little progress in ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.