Russian strikes killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 80 in Ukraine on Tuesday, hours before Kyiv was set to begin its own ceasefire and three days before Moscow's announced pause in hostilities was due to start.
Glide bombs struck the eastern city of Kramatorsk, the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, and the northern city of Chernihiv on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 17 civilians and wounding 45. Overnight attacks the previous night killed five more people and wounded 39.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the timing an act of "utter cynicism." Russia's Defense Ministry had announced a unilateral ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, when Russia marks the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The ministry also warned it would strike back if Ukraine tried to disrupt Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
"Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "Peace is needed, and real steps are needed to achieve it. Ukraine will act in kind."
Zelenskyy said Ukraine would observe a ceasefire beginning at the end of Tuesday and would respond to Russia's actions from that point forward. He did not set an end date.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed both unilateral ceasefires. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres "looks forward to their successful implementation" and repeated his call for a "full, immediate, unconditional and lasting ceasefire" in line with the U.N. Charter and international law.
The pattern is familiar. Russia has declared short ceasefire windows multiple times since its full-scale invasion began more than four years ago, often tied to religious or national holidays, most recently Orthodox Easter. None have produced lasting results. Deep mutual mistrust between Moscow and Kyiv has stalled U.S.-led diplomatic efforts as well.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyy was also in Bahrain, where he met with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and proposed a bilateral drone defense partnership. He drew a direct parallel between Iranian drone attacks on Gulf states and Russia's daily aerial strikes on Ukraine, noting that many Russian strikes use Shahed drones originally developed by Iran.
