Second-biggest Ukrainian drone attack hits Russia amid ceasefire tensions

Amid rising tensions over ceasefire plans for Russia's upcoming Victory Day, Ukraine has carried out a large-scale drone attack targeting multiple Russian regions.

The assault came after Moscow disregarded Kyiv's proposal of a ceasefire that was meant to begin on Tuesday, local time, and launched a fresh round of attacks, News.Az reports, citing ABC news.

Russia's defence ministry said on Thursday that the country's air defences had shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight in 20 different regions, including in Moscow.

That represented Ukraine's second-biggest aerial attack of the war so far, after a similar-scale drone assault in March.

Dozens more drones were also launched during the day, the Kremlin said, with nearly 100 flights in and out of Moscow's three major airports delayed or cancelled by midday.

The attacks came ahead of Russia's most important secular holiday, Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

Russian authorities have declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday. Ukraine responded to that with its own suspension of hostilities from midnight Tuesday, local time.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow disregarded the goodwill gesture and launched fresh attacks.

"Russia has not stopped any type of its military activity. Unfortunately, it has not stopped. Ukraine will act symmetrically," Mr Zelenskyy said in his regular evening video address.

He said on X that Russia's attacks have been ceaseless, with drones, missiles, artillery shelling and glide bombs hitting civilian areas of Ukraine, including the power grid and rail network.

In the north-eastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, a drone strike wounded nine people, including three children, local officials said.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli