Russia attacks Ukraine on the first day of self-declared ceasefire,
killing 1 person
[May 08, 2025]
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia struck northeastern Ukraine on
Thursday in the opening hours of a 72-hour ceasefire called by Russian
President Vladimir Putin, killing one person, Ukrainian officials said.
The unilateral ceasefire coincides with the celebrations in Moscow for
the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in World War II,
Russia’s biggest secular holiday. Kyiv has pressed for a longer-term
ceasefire.
Putin on Thursday welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin.
Xi, who Putin earlier described as “our main guest” at Friday's Victory
Day festivities, arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a four-day visit.
Russian forces dropped guided air bombs on residential areas near the
border in the northeast Sumy region, killing one and wounded two people,
the regional prosecutor's office said. Ukraine's air force also said at
least one missile hit the Sumy region until early morning on Thursday.
Large-scale missile and drone attacks, which have been a near-daily
occurrence in Ukraine in recent weeks, were not recorded since 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, the air force said. Smaller-scale Russian attacks persisted
elsewhere in the country closer to the front line, causing civilian
casualties, it said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cast doubt on the ceasefire,
calling it “manipulation” as U.S.-led peace efforts stalled. “For some
reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire —
just to provide Putin with silence for his parade,” Zelenskyy said.
In March, the United States proposed a 30-day truce in the war, which
Ukraine accepted, but the Kremlin has held out for ceasefire terms more
to its liking.
In Russia, officials said that the regions of Belgorod, Lipetsk,
Orenburg, Ryazan and Tambov came under a drone threat alert overnight,
but there were no reports of any drones being shot down or intercepted.
Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia also briefly imposed
restrictions on flights to and from the airport in Nizhny Novgorod.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and his Chinese counterpart
Xi Jinping arrive for their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia,
Thursday, May 8, 2025, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary
of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during the World War
II. (Alexei Danichev/Photo host agency RIA Novosti via AP)
In welcoming Xi, Putin said that "the brotherhood of arms between
our peoples, which developed during the harsh war years, is one of
the fundamental foundations of modern Russian-Chinese relations of
comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”
He added that Moscow and Beijing were developing ties “for the
benefit of the peoples of both countries and not against anyone.”
Xi, in turn, said that “history and reality have fully proved that
the continuous development and deepening of China-Russia relations
is a necessity for the friendship between the two peoples from
generation to generation." He also called for safeguarding
“international fairness and justice.”
Putin and Xi have met over 40 times and developed strong personal
ties that bolstered the countries' “strategic partnership” as both
face tensions with the West.
China has offered robust diplomatic support to Moscow after its 2022
full-scale invasion of Ukraine and has emerged as a top market for
Russian oil and gas, helping fill the Kremlin’s war coffers. Russia
has relied on China as the main source of machinery and electronics
to keep its military machine running after Western sanctions
curtailed high-tech supplies.
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