Ukraine's cities quiet as Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicks in

A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect on Thursday morning with skies over Ukraine's major cities quiet in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.

However, a Ukrainian military spokesperson told Reuters Russian troops had continued assaults in several areas on the eastern front. The air force said Russian aircraft had launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine three times.

But the air force also said there had been no Russian missiles or drones in Ukrainian airspace since the Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire kicked in. There was no word on damage and Reuters could not independently verify the reports of attacks.

The Russian ceasefire, coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the World War 2 defeat of Nazi Germany, went into effect at midnight Moscow time (9pm GMT).

As part of the anniversary events, Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders in Moscow and will review a military parade on Moscow's Red Square on May 9.

Ukraine has not committed to abide by the Kremlin's ceasefire, calling it a ruse by Putin to create the impression he wants to end the war, which began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin says he is committed to achieving peace.

Ukraine launched successive drone attacks on Moscow this week, which had forced the closure of airports in the Russian capital and the grounding of airliners.

On Thursday morning the Ukrainian capital Kyiv was quiet, in contrast to 24 hours earlier when the city reverberated with the sound of explosions from waves of Russian airborne attacks and outgoing Ukrainian anti-aircraft fire.

Viktor Trehubov, a military spokesperson for Ukraine's eastern front, said Russian troops had continued to attack Ukrainian soldiers in the east after the ceasefire kicked in.

Ukraine's general staff said in its readout on the state of play there had been 139 clashes on the front line by 10pm Ukrainian time (7pm GMT) on Wednesday and 196 for the past day by 8am on Thursday.

A Reuters witness near the front in eastern Ukraine said early on Thursday he could hear no sounds of fighting.

“During the day, May 8, by 8am, no missile strikes or use of strike UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] were recorded in Ukrainian airspace,” the air force said on Telegram.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday his country stood by its offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.

“We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

Russia, he said, had made no response to the 30-day offer except for new strikes.

“This clearly and obviously demonstrates to everyone who the source of the war is,” the Ukrainian president added.

Zelensky also appeared to acknowledge the numerous drone attacks targeting Russian sites, including the City of Moscow, as the World War 2 commemorations approached.

“It is fair that Russian skies, the skies of the aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way,” he said on Wednesday.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin, in a series of posts on the Telegram messaging app over a five-hour period, said 14 drones headed for the capital had been repelled or destroyed. This happened before the Kremlin-sponsored three-day ceasefire took effect.

The US proposed the 30-day ceasefire in March and Ukraine agreed. Russia has said such a measure could only be introduced after mechanisms to enforce and uphold it are put in place.

Both countries are under pressure from US President Donald Trump to bring a swift end to the war, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War 2.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova expressed surprise at remarks from US envoy Keith Kellogg that Putin may be obstructing a comprehensive ceasefire.

“The only obstacle to the ceasefire is Kyiv, which violates agreements and is unwilling to seriously discuss the terms of a long-term ceasefire,” Zakharova said.

Reuters