Dozens of Ukrainian drones were intercepted en route to the Russian capital hours after the two-day ceasefire announced by Moscow ahead of Victory Day celebrations, and during them, began.
At least 20 hostile UAVs were downed in the Moscow region by 2 am Friday, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The official reported no damage or casualties, and stopped short of accusing Kiev of a ceasefire violation.
The Russian Defense Ministry reiterated its warnings on Thursday evening that any attempt by Ukraine to disrupt the celebrations in Moscow would result in a large-scale retaliatory strike on central Kiev.
During the period of May 8-9, Russian forces will cease all operations on the front line, as well as halt long-range strikes against Ukrainian territory, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, urging Ukraine to follow suit. Any attempts to violate the truce on the ground or conduct strikes beyond the front line will be met with an “adequate response,” the ministry warned.
The ministry repeated its call for foreign diplomats to evacuate the Ukrainian capital ahead of a potential attack.
“We once again urge the civilian population of Kiev and employees of foreign diplomatic missions to leave the city in a timely manner,” it added.
It remains unclear whether Ukraine will actually abide by the Moscow-proposed truce. Vladimir Zelensky initially branded the two-day ceasefire “unfair” when it was first announced earlier this week, and claimed that “no one officially suggested anything” to Kiev. Shortly thereafter, however, he announced a truce of his own starting at midnight on the night of May 5-6, yet Moscow did not respond publicly to the proposal.
While media reports indicated that fighting and long-range strikes on both sides had somewhat subsided following the announcement, the Ukrainian leadership has complained about continued attacks.
On Thursday, Zelensky accused Russia of “not seriously considering the possibility of a ceasefire.” Shortly after the Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement, he appeared to issue a thinly veiled threat to Moscow, stating that he would not “recommend” that foreign dignitaries show up at the parade.