Ukraine has accused Russia of violating a unilateral ceasefire declared by Kyiv, after more than 100 combat drones and three missiles struck eastern Ukrainian cities overnight Tuesday. The attacks came just hours before the ceasefire was set to take effect at midnight local time.

At least 27 people were killed and dozens wounded in the strikes, which Ukrainian officials described as a deliberate escalation. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media that Russia was “intensifying terror” instead of preparing to end hostilities.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, 12 people died and 20 were injured in a two-phase attack: first with guided aerial bombs, then with Iranian-designed Shahed drones. City Council Secretary Rehina Kharchenko called it a “cynical strike,” noting that emergency responders were targeted in the second wave.

Further north, six people were killed in Kramatorsk by glide bombs, four in Dnipro, and five in the Poltava region when a gas production facility was hit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the Poltava attack as “especially vile,” as Russia allegedly launched a second missile at the same location while rescuers were on site.

The Russian Defense Ministry has announced it will observe a ceasefire on May 9 for Victory Day, but has continued bombarding Ukrainian cities in the meantime. Zelenskyy accused Moscow of “absolute cynicism,” stating that Russia could stop the war at any moment.

Ukraine also continued its own strikes inside Russia, launching F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at military-industrial facilities in Cheboksary, over 1,500 kilometers away. Ukrainian drones reportedly hit the Kirishi oil refinery near St. Petersburg, sparking a fire.

In Russian-occupied Crimea, five civilians were killed in the town of Dzhankoi by a Ukrainian drone attack. Russia's Defense Ministry claimed its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian drones across 18 regions.

Source: www.dw.com