• Ukraine's Air Force claims Russia attacked its northeastern border region of Sumy with guided bombs during early hours of its 'ceasefire'

ISTANBUL

Russia and Ukraine have traded accusations of attacking each other's areas, despite Moscow's unilateral three-day ceasefire, which began earlier on Thursday.

Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a three-day unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine, which began at midnight (2100GMT) on Thursday and is scheduled to last until midnight on May 11. Ukraine rejected the ceasefire offer, instead pushing for a 30-day pause proposed by the US in March.

The ceasefire was declared in preparation for the annual military parade on Friday in Moscow's Red Square, to which foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, have been invited to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day.

Victory Day is celebrated on May 9 in Russia and other countries, including some former Soviet states, to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory against Nazi Germany during World War II—a conflict Russia calls the Great Patriotic War.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that its troops in Ukraine have completely ceased hostilities and were remaining in their positions as of midnight, and that no airstrikes are being carried out by its military.

However, the statement accused Ukraine of launching two assaults to break through into Russia's border region of Kursk, as well as an attack near the front-line settlement of Toretsk, an industrial city in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region that Moscow claimed it had captured in February.

It also accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire 488 times since its implementation, stating: “The deliberate destructive actions of the Ukrainian side against Russia confirm the desire of the Kyiv regime to prevent a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine.”

However, Russia will continue to act “adequately” in the situation, said the statement.

Kyiv has not yet responded to Moscow's statement, but Ukraine's Air Force claimed on Telegram that Russia launched guided bombs on Sumy, its northeastern border region, throughout the early hours of the ceasefire.

Later, after speaking with his country's military command, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of committing 734 ceasefire violations and 63 assault operations between midnight and midday.

"We are responding appropriately to all attacks and sharing all relevant information about Russia's ceasefire violations with the United States, the EU and European partners, all other states, and international organizations. We will not let Putin fool anyone when he does not even keep his own word," Sybiha added.

Independent verification of Russia and Ukraine’s claims is difficult due to the armed conflict, which has been ongoing for over three years.