Kiev [Ukraine] /Moscow [Russia], May 9: Russia has violated its own three-day ceasefire in Ukraine more than 700 times, Ukraine's foreign minister said on Thursday, just hours after the pause in fighting was supposed to take effect.
"Predictably, Putin's 'Parade ceasefire' proves to be a farce," Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. Russian President Vladimir Putin unilaterally declared a 72-hour ceasefire surrounding Moscow's celebrations commemorating the end of World War II, which Russians celebrate on May 9.
But Sybiha said Ukrainian data showed that from midnight until midday on Thursday, Russia violated the ceasefire 734 times, including "63 assault operations, 23 of which are still ongoing; 586 attacks on [Ukrainian] troops' positions, 464 of which used heavy weapons; 176 strikes by FPV-drones; and 10 airstrikes using 16 guided aerial bombs."
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed that its army is strictly observing the ceasefire and is only responding to Ukrainian attacks.
In the Russian region of Kursk, there was an attempt by Ukraine to break through, the ministry stated. The Russian military also reported 488 Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire, even though the leadership in Kiev has not publicly agreed to it.
Moscow said that it continued to log attacks by drones and artillery despite reports from an opposition Ukrainian lawmaker that the Ukrainian armed forces have received a ceasefire order from Kiev.
The claims made by the warring parties cannot be independently verified.
Kiev is sharing its information about Russian violations of the ceasefire with the United States, EU partners and other organizations, Sybiha said.
He repeated Ukraine's willingness for a 30-day complete ceasefire, which could pave the way for peace negotiations.
The comments came hours after the head of the Ukrainian president's office, Andrii Yermak, said on Telegram following online discussions with Western security advisers that the ceasefire was intended only to guarantee the security of the military parade in Moscow.
The talks - which included US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keither Kellogg, French adviser Emmanuel Bonne, the UK's Jonathan Powell and new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's adviser Günter Sautter - centred around demands for a longer 30-day ceasefire.
"We have emphasized that a complete and unconditional ceasefire must be the first step towards a just and lasting peace," Yermak said.
A similar call was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly video address on Wednesday.
Source: Qatar Tribune
