Politics Quieter night in the Ukraine war, but accusations against Moscow
The first night of the ceasefire unilaterally ordered by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi in the Ukraine war was comparatively calm.
06.05.2026, 14:14
SDA
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha accused Russia of continuing its airstrikes. Moscow had once again ignored a realistic and fair call to end the hostilities, he wrote on the X platform. This shows that Russia rejects peace.
Sybiha spoke of a fake call by Russia for a ceasefire on May 9, which had nothing to do with diplomacy. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin was only interested in military parades, not human lives, wrote Sybiha. He called for more pressure on Russia.
Selenskyj had set the start of the ceasefire for 0.00 local time on Wednesday (Tuesday 23.00 CEST). On the Russian side, President Putin had previously ordered a ceasefire only for Friday and Saturday, when Russia commemorates the Soviet victory in the Second World War. The traditional military parade on Red Square in Moscow is planned for May 9. The Kremlin did not initially comment on the Ukrainian push for an earlier ceasefire.
Fewer attacks reported
According to Russian agencies, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow reported that 53 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory and the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea during the night - significantly fewer than recently. The ministry spoke of a period between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. local time (8 p.m. and 6 a.m. CEST). However, the attack on Crimea occurred before midnight.
According to the occupation administration, five civilians were killed in the city of Dzhankoy. From the beginning of the day, there were virtually no reports of danger from Ukrainian drones in Russian state media.
According to initial information, the intensity of Russian airstrikes on Ukraine also decreased somewhat. However, even after the start of the ceasefire announced by Zelenskyi, the Ukrainian air force reported the approach of drones to Kharkiv, among other places. In the morning, it announced that Russia had attacked Kharkiv with three missiles and 108 drones since 6 p.m. (5 p.m. CEST) on Tuesday. Of these, 89 drones had been repelled.
The night before, the Ukrainian air force had counted attacks with eleven ballistic missiles and 164 drones.
According to the authorities, a woman was killed in a drone attack in the Sumy region in the north-east of the country this morning. Russia had attacked a civilian car, wrote military governor Oleh Hryhorov on Telegram.
The Ukrainian ceasefire is valid indefinitely as long as Russia does not attack, explained Ukrainian Presidential Office Chief Kyrylo Budanov. "If the ceasefire is mutually respected, then we will continue it." Zelenskyi had said that Kiev would react in a mirror image if the Russian side did not comply.
Trump as the addressee?
With their long-distance duel for a ceasefire, Zelensky and Putin are also trying to convince US President Donald Trump of their desire for peace. Trump and Putin spoke on the phone at the end of April about a possible ceasefire to coincide with the May 9 celebrations.
However, Kiev has repeatedly spoken out in favor of a permanent ceasefire, to be followed by a peace agreement with security guarantees for Ukraine. Moscow rejects longer ceasefires and is committed to achieving its goals in Ukraine despite increasing difficulties. Efforts to find a peace solution are on hold, partly because Trump and the US leadership are distracted by the Iran war.
Previous ceasefires have been fragile
In the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Putin more than four years ago, there have already been several attempts to temporarily cease fire. Most recently, a limited ceasefire was declared on the occasion of Orthodox Easter. Both sides held back with extensive air strikes. On the ground front, however, every movement of the enemy continued to be fought with small drones.
Last year, weapons were to be laid down for three days to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. In the past, Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly accused each other of violating ceasefires.
Dead and injured in Ukraine
Until shortly before the ceasefire period set by Selenskyj, both sides were still fighting each other with great ferocity. In the course of Tuesday, the Russian army killed more than 25 Ukrainian civilians in Zaporizhia, Kramatorsk, Dnipro and other cities with air strikes and artillery fire.
Ukraine hit an arms factory and a large refinery in Russia with combat drones on Tuesday night and continued to attack throughout the day. Air traffic in the capital Moscow was disrupted in the evening.
