Over 500 Ukrainian drones shot down in one day
Russian anti-aircraft defenses have repelled a large-scale Ukrainian attack, downing two Western-supplied HIMARS rockets and over 500 drones, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday. Five long-range Neptune guided missiles and six JDAM precision-guided aerial bombs were also destroyed.
Aerial assaults have increased in the lead-up to a ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is scheduled to take effect from midnight on May 7–8 through midnight on May 10–11.
Intended as a humanitarian gesture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, the three-day pause also opens the door to potential 'direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions,' Moscow said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday that Russia still plans to offer the 3-day ceasefire.
By ramping up drone strikes on Russia, 'the Kiev regime continues to demonstrate its essence, its inclination to terrorist actions,' Peskov said.
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has declined to support the proposed ceasefire, calling it a Russian 'attempt at manipulation.' According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's war crimes investigator Rodion Miroshnik, the past week saw a record number of civilian casualties from drone attacks, with 15 people killed and 142 others injured.
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