Ukraine Strikes Russian Cities as Zelenskyy Rejects Putin’s Ceasefire Offer

Ukraine has launched drone strikes across several Russian cities in what Moscow has described as a “mass drone attack.” The escalation comes shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire around May 9 — Russia’s Victory Day, commemorating the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

According to Ukraine’s military intelligence, reported by The Independent, Ukraine used a naval drone on Saturday to shoot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet, calling it the world’s first such strike.

Venyamin Kondratiev, governor of Russia’s Krasnodar region, stated that the Black Sea area had been heavily impacted by the strikes, with the port city of Novorossiysk seeing significant damage. Local residents reported that multiple apartment blocks were hit. According to LBC, authorities confirmed that five people, including two children, were injured in the attacks. Videos circulating online show widespread destruction to residential buildings. In response, Russian officials declared a local state of emergency to manage the fallout.

Russian authorities also acknowledged that the drone attacks extended to Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy has consistently refused to recognize Russian control over Crimea, while President Putin continues to assert that the territory rightfully belongs to Russia.

The situation has further strained already tense relations between the two nations. US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce held a press briefing ‘The US is changing the methodology of how we contribute to talks and will stop travelling around the world at the drop of a hat for negotiations.”