Zelenskyy Slams Russia's Utter Cynicism05/05 06:24

   Russian drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine's power grid during the 
night killed at least five people and wounded 39 others, Ukrainian authorities 
said Tuesday, less than a day before Kyiv said it would enact a ceasefire and 
three days before Moscow promised its own truce.

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russian drone and missile strikes targeting Ukraine's 
power grid during the night killed at least five people and wounded 39 others, 
Ukrainian authorities said Tuesday, less than a day before Kyiv said it would 
enact a ceasefire and three days before Moscow promised its own truce.

   Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rebuked Moscow for what he said was 
its "utter cynicism" in launching the attacks after Russia announced a 
unilateral truce over two days later this week while it marks the 81st 
anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

   "Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our 
responses," Zelenskyy said in a post on X. "Peace is needed, and real steps are 
needed to achieve it. Ukraine will act in kind."

   The truce proposal follows a familiar pattern of Russia declaring short 
unilateral ceasefires during the war timed to various holidays -- most recently 
Orthodox Easter -- that don't produce any tangible results amid deep mistrust 
between Moscow and Kyiv more than four years after Russia launched an all-out 
invasion of its neighbor. U.S.-led diplomatic efforts to stop the war have come 
to nothing.

   The Russian Defense Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for 
Friday and Saturday, but said that it would strike back at the country if it 
tries to disrupt the festivities on Victory Day, which Russia marks annually on 
May 9.

   Zelenskyy replied that Ukraine would observe a truce beginning at the end of 
Tuesday and would respond in kind to Russia's actions from that moment on. He 
didn't put an end date on the truce.

   Russian drones and missiles pound Ukraine's power grid again

   Russian forces fired 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 strike drones 
at Ukraine overnight from Monday to Tuesday, including a jet-powered Shahed 
drone variant, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

   Air defense units stopped 149 drones and one missile, but others got 
through, it said. Two ballistic missiles failed to reach their targets, the air 
force said without elaborating.

   Russia has repeatedly hammered Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the 
war, which began on Feb. 24, 2022. It hit natural gas production facilities in 
Ukraine's central Poltava and northeastern Kharkiv regions, state energy 
company Naftogaz Group said.

   Since the start of the year, Naftogaz facilities have come under attack 107 
times, the company said.

   Zelenskyy said that the Poltava attack was "especially vile," because Russia 
launched a second missile at the same target when emergency rescuers were 
working at the scene.

   Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said that Russia's main targets 
were energy facilities, oil and gas infrastructure, railways and industrial 
sites, although the attacks also damaged homes, businesses and the 
transportation network.

   Russia's ceasefire proposals "remain only statements," Svyrydenko said.

   Ukrainian cruise missiles strikes deep inside Russia

   Ukraine also kept up the pace of its long-range attacks on Russian rear 
areas, apparently aiming at more oil facilities in an effort to further disrupt 
Moscow's war economy.

   Russia's Defense Ministry said that its forces destroyed 289 Ukrainian 
drones overnight in 18 Russian regions. Drones were also intercepted over the 
occupied Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and over 
the Azov Sea, it said.

   Ukraine during the night launched its F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles at 
targets including military-industrial complex facilities in Cheboksary, located 
more than 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) away, Zelenskyy said.

   The plant supplied navigation components for the Russian Navy, the missile 
industry, aviation and armored vehicles, he said.

   The regional health ministry said a Ukrainian drone attack wounded three 
people in the city of Cheboksary.

   Ukrainian drones also attacked the Kirishi oil refinery in the Leningrad 
region close to St. Petersburg, sparking a blaze in the town's industrial zone, 
local Gov. Alexander Drozdenko said.

   Drozdenko said on social media that 29 Ukrainian drones had been shot down 
during the attack. No casualties were reported.

   Ukraine steps up its midrange strikes and ground robot operations

   Ukraine doubled its midrange strikes on Russia in April compared to March 
and quadrupled them compared to February, according to a monthly battlefield 
report from Ukraine's Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov published Tuesday.

   The midrange attacks were focused on enemy warehouses, command posts, air 
defense systems and supply lines up to about 100 miles (160 kilometers) behind 
the front line.

   Also, Ukrainian ground robots completed 10,281 resupply and evacuation 
missions in April, an average of almost 343 per day, according to Fedorov.

   It was not possible to independently confirm the claims.