Zelenskyy Claims Russia Launched 100 Drones Despite Truce

(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of mounting a sustained and wide-ranging offensive across multiple regions despite an active Ukrainian-declared unilateral ceasefire, as casualties mount and critical civilian infrastructure sustains heavy damage.

In a statement posted Thursday to the US social media platform X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine had documented "around 100 attack drones, dozens of assault actions on key frontline directions, as well as dozens of air strikes" launched by Russian forces between midnight Wednesday and Thursday morning.

The president reported "significant damage" to civilian infrastructure across the Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, along with targeted strikes on locomotives and facilities belonging to Ukraine's national railway operator Ukrzaliznytsia across several regions.

Zelenskyy singled out Ukraine's energy grid as bearing the brunt of the assault, describing it as a "constant Russian target," and argued the relentless bombardment demonstrated that Moscow was "not seriously" considering a ceasefire and had violated Kyiv's proposal since it entered into force.

He vowed a calibrated but firm response. "In a mirror response to Russian strikes, we will continue our long-range sanctions. And in response to Russia's willingness to move toward diplomacy, we will proceed along the path of diplomacy," Zelenskyy said.

On the ground, Ukraine's Air Force reported via Telegram that air defenses had intercepted 92 of 102 drones launched overnight by Russia.

Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov confirmed Thursday morning that the region's administrative center and 15 surrounding settlements had been struck over recent days, injuring eight people. He subsequently reported seven additional injuries following a drone strike specifically targeting Kharkiv city's Novobavarskyi district. Casualties were also recorded by local authorities in the southern Kherson and northeastern Sumy regions, with at least one fatality reported.

Kyiv had announced Monday its intention to observe a unilateral ceasefire beginning at midnight Tuesday, though Zelenskyy has repeatedly accused Moscow of "spurning" the initiative through continued strikes carried out since its inception. On the same day, Russia separately announced its own unilateral ceasefire for May 8–9 in observance of Victory Day celebrations, calling on Ukraine to reciprocate.

Moscow, for its part, offered a starkly different account of the overnight activity. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday that its forces had struck transport infrastructure facilities used by Ukrainian armed forces, along with drone launch sites and temporary troop deployment points. It further claimed that Russian air defenses had intercepted 474 Ukrainian drones between 9 pm Moscow time Wednesday and midday Thursday.

MENAFN10052026000045017169ID1111092518