Russia, Ukraine trade major attacks ahead of Kremlin's WWII celebrations

Russia and Ukraine resumed large-scale attacks on Friday, collapsing a two-day ceasefire Moscow had announced around its Victory Day celebrations on May 9. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the truce as a propaganda maneuver, stating that Russia made no effort to halt fighting. Kyiv reported 67 Russian drones launched overnight—the lowest in nearly a month—but also documented hundreds of Russian assaults along the front lines using short-range drones and attempted ground attacks. Russia’s defense ministry claimed to have shot down 264 Ukrainian drones and said its forces were responding symmetrically. Ukrainian forces struck an oil depot in Russia’s Yaroslavl region, about 200 kilometers northeast of Moscow, while 13 southern Russian airports were temporarily closed due to attack threats. Zelensky warned Moscow’s allies against attending the Victory Day parade, calling it a hollow gesture. He criticized Russia for seeking a temporary pause in fighting only to stage the event, which Putin uses to justify his invasion by linking Soviet WWII victories to the Ukraine war. Russia has twice threatened a major strike on Kyiv if the parade is disrupted, urging foreign diplomats to evacuate the city. The Kremlin has scaled back the parade for the first time in nearly two decades, omitting military hardware and limiting foreign attendance. Putin will deliver a defiant speech linking Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany to his invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces have intensified long-range strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, heightening tensions ahead of the event. The conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, displacing millions in Ukraine’s east and south. Zelensky confirmed he will remain in Kyiv over the weekend, despite Russian threats, while the EU, Britain, and Germany condemned Moscow’s warnings against foreign missions in the capital.