President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that Russian forces were continuing to flout a ceasefire proposal put forward by Kyiv and that Ukraine would sustain long-range operations if Moscow persisted in its assaults. The cessation proposed by Ukraine was to begin on May 6 and was floated in response to a separate pause offered by Russian President Vladimir Putin for May 8 to 9 to coincide with his countrys World War Two victory commemorations. Moscow did not confirm it would observe Kyivs suggested timeline.
Zelenskiy reported that since the start of the day Russian forces had been mounting attacks on Ukraine using drones, missile strikes, shelling and assaults along the front line. The continuing exchanges have included significant unmanned aerial activity on both sides: Ukraines air force said its units had shot down 92 of 102 drones since 6 p.m. (1500 GMT) on Wednesday, while Russia reported on Thursday that its air defences had destroyed 32 drones heading towards Moscow since the start of the day.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had warned diplomatic missions to evacuate Kyiv in case of any mass strike by Russia in response to what it described as Ukrainian attempts to disrupt Victory Day events. That warning was cited as part of a backdrop of heightened alerts linked to the commemorations.
Addressing the dynamic between military action and diplomacy, Zelenskiy said: "In a mirror response to Russian strikes, we will continue our long-range sanctions. And in response to Russias willingness to move toward diplomacy, we will proceed along the path of diplomacy." He emphasised a need for lasting peace rather than temporary pauses around specific dates, saying: "There is a need to establish peace, rather than running around the worlds capitals begging for a pause on May 9. We need peace."
Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks on military-industrial and energy sites inside Russia, with a particular focus on oil infrastructure that Kyiv says funds Moscows war effort. On Thursday, Ukraines drone forces commander said a Lukoil-owned refinery in Perm, near the Ural Mountains, was struck by Ukrainian drones; it was the second attack on that facility in eight days. Zelenskiy also said Ukraine had recently struck targets in Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg, at distances reaching nearly 2,000 km (1,243 miles).
The stated sequence of events reflects continued military activity on multiple fronts and points to ongoing exchanges of long-range strikes and air-defence responses by both sides. The pattern described by officials suggests sustained operational tempo rather than a unilateral move toward the proposed pauses announced by either capital.