Russia says Ukraine launched major drone attack after Moscow shunned ceasefire offer

Russian air defences shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russias Defence Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyivs ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over safety at Russias upcoming Victory Day celebrations.

Russian air defences shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia's Defence Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv's ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over safety at Russia's upcoming Victory Day celebrations. Incoming drones were destroyed in over 20 Russian regions, including Moscow, according to the Defence Ministry, in Ukraine's second-biggest aerial attack since Russia's all-out invasion more than four years ago. The largest was in March when it launched 389 drones. Dozens more Ukrainian drones were launched during daylight hours Thursday, the ministry said, including some heading again toward Moscow. Nearly 100 flights in and out of the Russian capital's three main airports - Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo - were delayed or cancelled by midday, the Moskva news agency reported. The attacks came ahead of Russia's most important secular holiday on May 9, Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian authorities have declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday. Ukraine had responded with its own suspension of hostilities from midnight Tuesday. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said while Ukraine had been ready to ''ensure complete silence,'' Moscow disregarded the goodwill gesture and launched fresh attacks. ''They want Ukraine's permission to hold their parade - so they can safely take to the square for an hour once a year, and then go back to killing our people and waging war,'' Zelenskyy said in his regular evening video address Thursday. The Ukrainian leader said Thursday on X that Russia's attacks have been ceaseless, with drones, missiles, artillery shelling and glide bombs hitting civilian areas of Ukraine, including the power grid and rail network. In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest, a drone strike wounded nine people, including three children, local officials said. Tension has grown as Russia's Victory Day celebrations approach and US-led peace efforts gain no traction. Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, was in the United States on Thursday and preparing to meet with Trump administration representatives, according to Zelenskyy. All mobile internet access and text messaging services will be shut down in the Russian capital on May 9, state media reported Thursday, citing the country's Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media. A traditional parade in Moscow won't feature the usual tanks, missiles and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. The Russian Defence Ministry cited the ''current operational situation'' as a reason for excluding military equipment. Russian authorities say they are concerned about possible Ukrainian attacks, as Kyiv has expanded its long-range drone and missile capabilities. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that additional security measures were being taken due to the ''rather complex operational situation.'' The measures being taken ''are necessary to ensure the safety of citizens, which is an absolute priority,'' Peskov told reporters. Among the foreign dignitaries expected to attend the Victory Day ceremonies on Saturday are Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, and Belarus' authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was to meet with Putin and lay flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier but stay away from the parade. Zelenskyy said some countries who planned to send representatives to Moscow for May 9 had contacted Ukraine about their plans to visit. ''An odd desire at a time like this. We do not recommend it,'' Zelenskyy said late Thursday. Russia repeated its recent warnings to Ukraine that it would take decisive action - including a potential mass strike on Kyiv - if Ukrainian attacks disrupt the occasion. ''We have strengthened our focus on the possibility of retaliatory measures,'' presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists Thursday. Russia's Foreign Ministry advised foreign embassies and international organizations located in Kyiv to evacuate their offices in case such a strike did take place. Ukraine's air defence shot down 92 of the 102 drones Russia launched overnight, the military said. Russia maintains a significant advantage in drone numbers, regularly deploying hundreds in a single attack.