Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declared three-day ceasefire, intended to coincide with Victory Day celebrations, unraveled within hours as Russian forces launched attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region. Despite the truce, Ukrainian officials reported intensified aerial assaults, including guided bomb strikes on residential areas near Bilopillya, resulting in civilian casualties.
Ukraine’s air force noted increased tactical aviation activity overnight, with no missile or drone attacks recorded by Thursday morning. However, the emergency services confirmed that a strike hit a residential area near Bilopillya, a village close to the border between Sumy and the Kursk region. Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s disinformation countering center, stated that Russia was “violating the ceasefire by attacking the Sumy region” .
The ceasefire was announced unilaterally by Putin to align with Russia’s Victory Day parade, a significant national event commemorating the end of World War II. Ukraine dismissed the truce as a political maneuver, emphasizing that it had not agreed to the proposal and instead called for a more extended 30-day ceasefire to facilitate diplomatic negotiations.
Despite the declared truce, both sides reported continued hostilities. Ukraine claimed Russia violated the ceasefire 734 times by midday, describing it as a “farce,” while Russia accused Ukraine of retaliatory strikes. The ongoing conflict has led to significant civilian suffering, with recent attacks causing deaths and injuries in various regions, including Sumy.
The international community continues to urge both sides to engage in meaningful dialogue to end the conflict. U.S. Vice President JD Vance emphasized the need for direct negotiations between the two nations. “We think it’s probably impossible for us to mediate this entirely without at least some direct negotiation between the two,” he said.
