Zelenskyy reports 100-plus drone strikes

Russia’s latest “ceasefire” is really a story about credibility. Moscow said a two-day pause would begin on May 8 for Victory Day commemorations. But Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that from the start of the day into the morning, Russia had already launched about 100 attack drones, plus missile strikes, air-dropped bombs, and frontline assaults that damaged civilian sites in Kharkiv, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kherson. (president.gov.ua) ### What actually happened on May 8? Zelenskyy’s message was blunt: the Russian army was still using basically every tool it has — drones, missiles, shelling, glide bombs, and ground attacks. He said the damage hit civilian targets across four Ukrainian regions. That matters because this was supposed to be the first day of Russia’s unilateral truce tied to the May 8-9 Victory Day period. (unn.ua) ### Why is the ceasefire so disputed? Because the two sides were never talking about the same thing. Vladimir Putin announced a two-day halt for May 8 and May 9. Zelenskyy rejected the idea that Russia could pick a symbolic holiday window and call that peace. Instead, he had pushed for an earlier pause starting the night of May 5-6, arguing that a real ceasefire should protect lives, not just secure a parade date in Moscow. (dw.com) ### Why does the timing matter so much? Victory Day is one of the Kremlin’s most politically loaded dates. A quiet sky over Moscow helps project control at home. The catch is that if strikes continue in Ukraine while Russia still uses the word “ceasefire,” Kyiv gets an opening to say the whole thing is theater — a public-relations shield, not a military pause. That is exactly how Zelenskyy is framing it. (dw.com) ### What is Ukraine signaling back? Retaliation — and not just at the front. Zelenskyy said Ukraine would act “in kind” and “very soon.” At the same time, Russian and Ukrainian media reports described overnight drone attacks on Russian territory, including a fire at the Yaroslavl oil refinery an(dw.com)age. Some of those claims are hard to verify independently, but the pattern is clear: Ukraine wants Russia to feel pressure far from the battlefield too. (kyivpost.com) ### Why hit an oil refinery? Because refineries are one of the few targets that sit in the overlap between war logistics and economic pain. Yaroslavl is deep inside Russia, and the refinery there is a major processing site. Striking that kind of facility does not just make a fireball for Telegram — it can disrupt fuel flows, force repairs, and show that distance from the border is no guarantee of safety. (sofx.com) ### Does this mean the truce is dead? In practical terms, yes. A ceasefire only works if both sides change behavior on the ground. Once drones are flying, bombs are dropping, and assaults are continuing, the label stops meaning much. This also fits a recent pattern — both sides have announced short pauses before, and both have accused the other of violating them almost immediately. (dw.com) ### So what should readers take from this? The real news is not just that Russia attacked again. It is that Moscow tried to pair military pressure with the language of restraint, and Kyiv is trying to blow up that contradiction in real time. If Zelenskyy’s count is even roughly right, then May 8 started less like a ceasefire than like another day in a war where symbolism and strikes now arrive together. (unn.ua)