Russian strikes kill at least 27 in Ukraine before ceasefire deadline
Russian attacks across eastern Ukraine killed at least 27 people on Tuesday, including 12 in one of the worst strikes so far this year, hours before a midnight deadline for an open-ended ceasefire proposed by Kyiv.
The attacks came as Russia announced a separate ceasefire for 8 to 9 May to coincide with commemorations of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and a military parade in Moscow.
Ukraine responded by proposing an open-ended ceasefire starting at midnight on Wednesday and urged Russia to reciprocate.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, an attack involving aerial bombs and drones killed at least 12 people, according to the regional governor, Ivan Fedorov.
He said residential buildings, a car repair service and a car wash were damaged, and that fires broke out at a shop and an unidentified enterprise.
The timing of the strikes matters because both sides had publicly floated rival ceasefire terms, raising hopes of at least a temporary pause in fighting.
Instead, the latest attacks underlined the continuing gap between the two sides and the lack of any immediate sign of de-escalation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was not an option for Russia to halt strikes for one day for its military parade while continuing to pound Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Moscow showed no sign of preparing to end hostilities and was instead intensifying the conflict.
Within minutes of the deadline passing, Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-appointed head of Crimea, said a Ukrainian drone attack had killed five civilians in Dzhankoi.
The reports suggested that attack likely took place before the deadline expired.
Russian officials appeared to give little attention to Ukraine's proposal.
