The Ukrainian authorities announced on Tuesday that at least 22 people were killed in Russian air strikes that targeted various areas of the country, including Zaporizhya, Kramatorsk, and Dnipro, coinciding with Kiev’s efforts to reach a truce on the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced the "absolute hypocrisy" of Moscow, which declares a unilateral ceasefire while continuing to bomb Ukrainian cities, at a time when Kiev accused Russia of targeting medics and civilians.

Published on: 05/05/2026 - 22:17 Last updated: 05/05/2026 - 22:19

Russian air strikes on Ukraine killed at least 22 people on Tuesday, according to Kiev, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced "absolute hypocrisy" on Moscow's part for carrying out the strikes as Kiev sought to reach a truce on the anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

According to provisional figures, at least 12 people were killed in Zaporizhya (south), five in Kramatorsk (east), and one person in Nikopol (central east), which reflects Moscow's increasing tendency to strike Ukraine day and night, more than four years after the start of the Russian invasion. During a visit to Bahrain, Zelensky said that he feared the death toll would rise in Kramatorsk, as the city center was subjected to raids in the afternoon.

Later, Zelensky reported that four people were killed in a Russian strike on Tuesday evening on the Dnipro in central Ukraine.

In Zaporizhya in the south, Russia dropped four aerial bombs near the city center, causing at least 12 deaths and 20 injuries, local police spokeswoman Anna Tkachenko told Agence France-Presse. Nightly Russian attacks with long-range drones and aerial bombs left at least five dead, including medics, and dozens wounded, according to Kiev.

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A unilateral truce and exchange of accusations

Russia unilaterally announced a ceasefire on May 8 and 9 on the occasion of the celebrations of the eighty-first anniversary of victory in World War II, which are held annually with a military parade in Red Square in the capital, Moscow. Moscow threatened to launch a "major missile strike" on central Kiev if Ukraine violates the ceasefire.

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded by declaring a truce starting at midnight on Wednesday (21:00 GMT), without specifying a duration, declaring that Kiev would respond “in kind” to any violation of the ceasefire it announced. Zelensky condemned the recent wave of raids on Ukraine, saying on social media that “it is absolute hypocrisy to call for a ceasefire to hold propaganda celebrations, while launching such strikes daily.”

"Tactical maneuver" and exchange of violations

Ukrainian political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko considered that Ukraine's declaration of a truce constitutes a tactical maneuver in the media and political spheres. "If Russia does not respect the ceasefire that we announced, we have the right not to respect the ceasefire that (Moscow) announced. This invalidates Putin's initiative," Fesenko told Agence France-Presse, adding that it was "almost certain" that neither ceasefire would be fully adhered to.

The two separate truces come more than three weeks after a 32-hour ceasefire on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, which was repeatedly violated on the front lines despite a commitment to stop air strikes with long-range missiles.

Stiff positions and varying demands

Ukraine has long called for a prolonged truce on the front lines to facilitate negotiations in order to reach an agreement to end the ongoing war since the Russian invasion of its territory in February 2022. Moscow rejects this demand, considering that a longer ceasefire would enable Kiev to strengthen its defenses, and demands that Ukraine completely cede the Donetsk region in the east of the country, which is partly under the control of the Russian army, before any ceasefire.

Moscow's losses and Ukraine's focus on the marches

According to the Ukrainian military, eight missiles and 14 drones hit 14 locations in the country, while two missiles missed their targets. In the Poltava region in central-eastern Ukraine, four people were killed and 37 others were injured, according to the head of the regional administration, Vitaly Dyakivnych.

In response to the escalation of Russian air strikes in recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified its drone strikes on Russian territory, and one of these drones even penetrated the facade of an apartment building in western Moscow.

These announcements of a new ceasefire come as the United States refocuses its attention on the war in the Middle East after its efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine. It also comes amid difficulties facing the Russian army on the front lines, as the area controlled by Russia in Ukraine shrank by about 120 square kilometers in April, a decrease not seen since the Ukrainian counterattack in the summer of 2023, according to an analysis conducted by the Agence France-Presse of data from the Institute for War Studies.

Zelensky presents Ukraine's experience to Bahrain

In parallel, Zelensky focused with the Gulf states on Ukraine's experience in combating the Iranian-made drones that Moscow is using in large numbers against his country. He announced on Tuesday that he had offered Bahrain to sign an agreement on the drones, at the conclusion of a meeting with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

He explained, "Our country faces similar terrorist attacks on an almost daily basis, and our people have extensive experience in this regard at the defense level," stressing that "Ukraine is ready to share this experience in the security field with Bahrain."

France 24/AFP

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