Russian strikes have killed at least 18 people across Ukraine, Kiev said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned Moscow's "utter cynicism" for launching deadly attacks while also seeking a truce to stage its May 9 patriotic parade.
Twelve people were killed in a Russian air strike on the southern city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday, according to the local governor Ivan Fedorov.
Zelenskyy said at least five civilians were killed after Russia attacked the centre of east Ukraine's city of Kramatorsk — the last hub under Kiev’s control in the embattled Donetsk region — and warned the death toll could rise.
"The attack hit right in the city centre, targeting civilians," the Ukrainian leader said.
The attacks came after several people were killed overnight and as Russia geared up for its patriotic May 9 event this weekend.
Moscow and Kiev announced unilateral ceasefires over different dates this week.
Moscow has announced a ceasefire during public World War II celebrations over May 9, while Kiev has said it will halt fire over May 6.
"It is utter cynicism to ask for a ceasefire in order to hold propaganda celebrations while carrying out such missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it," Zelenskyy said in a statement in response to the attacks.
"Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses," he added.
Intensifying strikes
In Russia, officials said a Ukrainian drone attack on the Volga city of Cheboksary killed two people.
Regional authorities said 32 people were wounded after the drone slammed into an apartment block, hundreds of kilometres from Ukraine.
The Russian May 9 parade is typically a bombastic display of military strength, which since 2022 has sought to link Soviet victory over Nazi Germany with the invasion of Ukraine.
But the Kremlin ordered a scaled-back version this year — with no military hardware to be on display — over fears it could be targeted by Ukraine.
Moscow also cut mobile internet throughout the Russian capital on Tuesday morning ahead of the parade, with operators reporting restrictions would last until Saturday.
Kiev has intensified its retaliatory long-range strikes in recent weeks, hitting a spate of Russian oil facilities and a luxury high-rise building in Moscow.
It calls the strikes fair retaliation for Russia's nightly bombing of its cities with drones and missiles.
'Vile'
Overnight, a Russian strike killed four people — employees of state energy firm Naftogaz and first responders — in the central Poltava region, triggering outrage in Kiev.
"Two of the killed were first responders, killed in a vile double-tap strike targeting those who arrived to help people at the scene of the attack," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, denouncing Moscow's "criminal tactics".
The state emergency service said Russia fired four missiles at the site after an earlier drone hit, publishing video of a fireball erupting at the facility.
One person was also killed in the northeastern Kharkiv region as Russia fired 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones across the country, according to authorities.
Ukraine has meanwhile intensified attacks deep inside Russia, with authorities nervous about security for the weekend events.
The Russian defence ministry said it had targeted Ukraine's defence sector and energy sites in response to "attacks on civilian targets in Russia".
It said Russia had downed more than 300 Ukrainian drones between late Monday and early Tuesday, with several airports across the country temporarily halting flights throughout the morning.
Short-term ceasefires are not infrequent, with the two sides having suspended long-range attacks over Orthodox Easter last month.
There is no sign that the four-year war is close to being resolved at the negotiating table.
Moscow is demanding that Kiev fully withdraw its troops from the eastern Donbas area and renounce Western military support – ultimatums seen as tantamount to capitulation in Kiev, which has rejected them.
On the battlefield, Russia's progress has stalled, with its army losing more territory than it captured in April for the first time since summer 2023, according to an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The war has spiralled into the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions.
