Ukraine reports Russian strikes after ceasefire

May 6, 2026

Summary

Ukraine said Russia launched missiles and drones hours after Kyiv’s unilateral ceasefire began, with officials reporting deaths and injuries.

Why this matters

The report underscored the limited effect of short-term ceasefires in a war now in its fourth year. It also highlighted competing truce proposals by Moscow and Kyiv ahead of Russia’s May 9 Victory Day events.

Ukraine said Russia launched drone and missile attacks early Wednesday, hours after Kyiv began observing a unilateral ceasefire at midnight on May 6. Ukrainian officials said one person was killed and three others were wounded in the latest strikes.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched two ballistic missiles, one cruise missile, and 108 drones since 6 p.m. local time Tuesday. It had issued warnings after midnight about drones and guided aerial bombs.

Russia had not said it would observe Ukraine’s proposed halt in fighting, which Kyiv announced after Moscow declared a separate ceasefire around Russia’s May 9 Victory Day parade.

In the Sumy region, a Russian drone strike hit a civilian car Wednesday morning, killing a passenger and wounding the driver, the regional governor said.

In Kharkiv, a Russian drone strike damaged seven private homes, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said one woman had an acute stress reaction and another person sought medical care.

In Zaporizhzhia, Russian forces struck an industrial facility early Wednesday, the regional governor said. In Kryvyi Rih, a morning drone attack damaged infrastructure but caused no reported injuries, according to the local military administration.

Late Tuesday, before Kyiv’s ceasefire took effect, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian strikes across Poltava, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Chernihiv, and Sumy had killed 27 people and injured at least 120. A later update from Kramatorsk raised the death toll by one.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said a strike in Zaporizhzhia killed 12 people and had “absolutely no military justification.” He said Russian strikes also killed six people in Kramatorsk and four in Dnipro. Zelensky said the Kramatorsk strike “hit right in the city centre, targeting civilians.”

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