Ukraine slams Russia’s ceasefire amid reports of hundreds of violations

says it is a farce

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, on Thursday, May 8, 2025, sharply criticized Russia’s recently declared unilateral ceasefire, calling it a sham.

According to him, hostilities are still on across the front line.

The ceasefire, which was supposed to last three days in observance of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, has been marred by hundreds of violations, according to Ukrainian officials.

Sybiha claimed that since the ceasefire took effect late Wednesday night, Russia had committed 734 breaches.

This he said, prompted Ukraine to respond “appropriately” to each one.

Despite these accusations, Russia’s Ministry of Defence maintained that its forces were fully complying with the ceasefire.

It instead blamed Ukraine for 488 violations, further fueling the ongoing war of narratives.

In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, at least one person was killed by Russian attacks, emergency responders confirmed.

Although Ukraine’s air force reported no overnight missile or drone strikes as of 8:00 am local time on Thursday, it noted that Russian forces had stepped up their use of air-launched glide bombs in the Sumy area.

In the town of Bilopillia, near the Russian border, residential buildings were struck.

Emergency crews rescued a woman who had been trapped under debris.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Viktor Trehubov stated that Russian forces launched assaults in several eastern regions even after the ceasefire officially began at midnight Moscow time (21:00 GMT on Wednesday).

President Volodymyr Zelensky had already rejected Russia’s declared pause in fighting, labeling it a “theatrical show” meant to protect celebrations in Moscow.

Zelensky has consistently advocated for a longer, meaningful ceasefire of at least 30 days, rather than brief, symbolic truces.

Earlier this year, Russia had also announced a 30-hour ceasefire over Easter.

While the brief pause resulted in some reduction in fighting, both sides still accused each other of violating the agreement multiple times.

The Kremlin has framed its latest ceasefire as a “test of Ukraine’s readiness for peace,” though President Vladimir Putin has already dismissed a joint U.S.-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional truce.

Russia’s defence ministry insisted that all Russian military units in Ukraine had completely halted offensive operations and remained at previously held positions.

However, they claimed to be taking “mirror-like” responses to attacks by Ukrainian forces.

Responding to Russian strikes in Sumy, Ukrainian Member of Parliament and soldier Sviatoslav Yurash condemned Moscow for spreading falsehoods.

“We don’t want a peace that falls apart instantly, where Russia takes another chance to try and destroy us,” he told the BBC.

Sergey Sanovich of Stanford University explained to the BBC that Russia’s ceasefire was not intended as a goodwill gesture toward Ukrainians.

He stated that it was rather a strategic move to maintain interest in negotiations with the U.S.

Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has made efforts to mediate the war, seeking a resolution between the two countries.

However, he has faced criticism for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to make significant concessions to achieve a peace deal.

Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.

It currently occupies around 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.

In the days leading up to the so-called ceasefire, both sides launched intense barrages against each other.

Russia’s defence ministry reported on Wednesday that 524 Ukrainian drones were shot down in a 24-hour period, an unprecedented figure, though unverified.

While no casualties were reported from those incidents, flight disruptions at Russian airports affected around 60,000 passengers.

Sanovich suggested that the scale of Ukraine’s drone activity indicates the country is not looking for peace “out of desperation.”

As Russia prepared for its Victory Day commemorations, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow to sign a renewed investment agreement with Vladimir Putin.

Xi said the partnership between their nations had added “positive energy” to an unstable world.

He is among 27 leaders expected to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square.

However, Ukraine issued a warning that it could not guarantee the safety of participants in the Russian parade.

Former Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Fedorov voiced concerns to the BBC about potential Ukrainian drone attacks.

On the other hand, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said all necessary precautions, including the jamming of mobile networks, were being taken to ensure the event remained peaceful.

While Russia marks Victory Day on 9 May, the rest of Europe celebrates Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) on 8 May.

This year’s commemorations are especially significant as they mark the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat.

In a video address released Thursday, Zelensky walked through Kyiv to honor fallen Ukrainian soldiers, standing before a display of Ukrainian flags.

He declared that Ukraine was observing Victory Day alongside others who had fought to ensure evil would be defeated forever.

“Sadly, three years ago, it happened again,” he said, noting that air raid sirens again echoed through Kyiv.

He denounced Russia’s celebration as a “parade of cynicism” and urged the world to confront evil “resolutely, with force.”

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