While Russia declared a ceasefire on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Ukrainian army is accused of carrying out four cross-border incursions into Russia's Kursk and Belgorod provinces, along with more than 5,000 other attacks, according to the latest announcement from the Russian Defense Ministry on May 9.
RT reported that despite the unilateral announcement from Russian President Vladimir Putin on a 72-hour ceasefire, which began at 0:00 on May 8 to 0:00 on May 11, the Russian Ministry of Defense affirmed that Ukrainian forces continued military operations, including: 15 small strikes on many areas of Donetsk and Lugansk; 5,026 total attacks on the front line, including 1,500 artillery shelling and 3,502 UAV attacks ( drones).
The Russian Defense Ministry also said that Russia responded "commensurately", but did not disclose details about the counterattacks.
Mr. Putin's ceasefire announcement was issued as a "hanistic document" to commemorate the day the Russian Red Army defeated socialist Germany in 1945. The Kremlin hopes the ceasefire will be a premise for a direct dialogue with Kiev, without conditions.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately rejected Russia's proposal. Instead of suspending the war, Ukraine has stepped up UAV attacks, with a record 524 UAVs shot down by Russia in just May 8.
However, on May 9, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he was ready for a full-scale ceasefire at any time, as long as it lasted at least 30 days.
Commenting on the current situation, US Vice President J.D Vance told FOX News that the war on the ground does not favor Ukraine. He admitted that Ukraine may be pushing for a ceasefire because the recent situation is not favorable to Kiev.
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov affirmed: "Russia does not demand too much, we just want our national interests to be respected and the root causes of the conflict to be resolved."
The current situation shows that the ceasefire is not enough to calm the battlefield. While Russia affirmed its goodwill for dialogue, Kiev accused Moscow of taking advantage of the ceasefire to consolidate its position. The two sides still look at each other through the lens of skepticism, and each action on the front line weakens fragile confidence in any peace process.
