Civilians were killed in northeastern Ukraine and Russia’s Kursk region as drone and artillery attacks intensified ahead of a Kremlin-declared ceasefire.
ross-border violence flared on Monday as artillery strikes and drone attacks killed six civilians in Ukraine and Russia, according to officials from both countries, just days before a temporary ceasefire declared by the Kremlin is due to take effect.
Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported that Russian forces shelled multiple towns in the northeastern region of Sumy early in the day, killing two people and injuring three others, including a child. The strikes damaged residential buildings in the area and also hit nearby villages such as Vorozhba and Bilopillia.
Further east, in Donetsk, a region heavily contested since the beginning of the war, regional governor Vadym Filashkin confirmed that one civilian was killed in the village of Novoekonomichne, near the front line.
Russian officials, meanwhile, reported casualties on their own side of the border. The acting governor of the Kursk region, Alexander Zhinstein, said two agricultural workers were killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on a vehicle near the village of Shchegoliok. In a separate incident, a 53-year-old man was killed when another drone hit a civilian car in the village of Zvannoye.
Ukraine had launched a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024, claiming roughly 1,400 square kilometers of territory in a rare cross-border operation. Russia declared in late April that it had fully reclaimed the region, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky maintains that Ukrainian forces are still active in the area.
Over the weekend, Russia carried out one of the largest drone offensives in recent months, launching 165 unmanned aerial vehicles from Russian territory, occupied parts of Ukraine, and the Black Sea coast. Ukraine’s Air Force said 69 drones were intercepted, while 80 others reportedly crashed or failed to reach targets. Strikes were recorded in several regions, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Cherkasy, and Kyiv, injuring at least 16 people, among them two children.
The attacks come ahead of Russia’s planned 72-hour ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The truce is set to begin at midnight on May 7 and end on May 10, according to a Kremlin statement.
The announcement followed comments from former U.S. President Donald Trump, who publicly called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop the shooting” and “sign an agreement” to end the war, which is now entering its fourth year.
A similar ceasefire was declared during Orthodox Easter last month. While both sides reported reduced hostilities, they also accused each other of hundreds of violations.
Keep Independent Journalism Alive
In a world flooded with noise, independent journalism is more vital than ever. We work hard to bring you clear, accurate, and unbiased international news — free from corporate or political influence.If you believe in the power of honest reporting, please consider making a donation. Every contribution, big or small, helps us stay independent and keep the world informed.
Support us via PayPalYour support makes a difference.
