"Moscow once again ignored a realistic and fair call to end hostilities, supported by other states and international organizations", Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha wrote on X. "This shows that Russia rejects peace, and its false calls for a ceasefire on May 9 have nothing to do with diplomacy. Putin cares only about military parades, not human lives".
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian forces used more than 100 drones, aerial bombs and ballistic missiles overnight. In Zaporizhzhia, aerial bombs killed 12 civilians in a single strike; by Wednesday morning the city's wounded toll had risen to 43.
A separate evening strike on Dnipro killed four and wounded 19. Ukraine's Air Force said it had neutralized 89 of 108 drones launched since Tuesday evening, along with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and one Kh-31 guided missile.
Strikes also targeted the Poltava, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Odesa, Chernihiv and Sumy regions, hitting civilian streets, food warehouses, apartment buildings, post offices and energy infrastructure. Klymenko said emergency responders and medical personnel were deliberately targeted in the Poltava and Kherson regions.
Sybiha called for stronger pressure on Moscow, including new sanctions, international isolation and increased support for Ukraine across all domains.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had declared the unilateral truce in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for a ceasefire on May 8-9, tied to Victory Day parade celebrations in Moscow.
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Source: PAP