Ukraine launched over a night overnight against Russia. kyiv notably targeted Moscow before the arrival of dozens of foreign leaders, including Xi Jinping, for the celebrations of victory over Nazi Germany.
The Kremlin has already warned that the Russian army would respond “immediately” in the event of a Ukrainian attack during the unilateral ceasefire ordered by Vladimir Putin from May 8 to 10, described as “attempted manipulation” by its Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukraine, after more than three years of a Russian offensive which resulted in at least tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers, still pleads, under pressure from Washington, for an “unconditional” stop of hostilities before negotiations with Russia.
Moscow, on the contrary, wants concrete commitments on his maximalist requests before any end of hostilities.
Closed airports
It is in this uncertain diplomatic and military context that Moscow, which will host a large military parade on Friday in the presence of Vladimir Putin and 29 foreign leaders according to the Kremlin, was the target on Monday to Tuesday of Ukrainian explosive drones.
According to the mayor, Sergei Sobianine, 19 devices having targeted the capital were intercepted by the anti -aircraft defense. Drone debris fell into the south of Moscow, without however making victims.
In total, Russia was attacked overnight by 105 Ukrainian drones, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Four airports in the capital – Cheremétievo, Domodedovo, Vnoukovo and Joukovski – imposed provisional restrictions on their operation during the night, some closing their tracks, according to the Russian Civil Aviation Agency Rossaviatsia.
The activities of several other Russian airports had to be suspended, notably in several major cities in the Volga basin such as Nijni Novgorod, Samara, Saratov and Volgograd.
Meeting Putin-XI Thursday
The Kremlin warned Ukraine, ensuring that its truce between Thursday and Saturday remained “topical”.
“If the kyiv regime does not do the same (stop fighting, note) and continues to try to hit our positions or our facilities, an adequate response will be immediately given,” threatened the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitri Peskov.
The Ukrainian “position” is focused on the continuation of the war, “he said.
-This weekend, Volodymyr Zelensky had denounced the “theatrical performance” of Vladimir Putin, acting kyiv’s rejection concerning this suspension for three days of the fights ordered without consultation by the master of the Kremlin the time of the 1945 victory celebrations.
In the Red Square, the Russian authorities planned for a large -scale parade for this 80th anniversary on Friday.
The Chinese presidents Xi Jinping and Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva are expected, like 27 other foreign leaders, according to the diplomatic advisor to Vladimir Putin, Iouri Ouchakov.
Symbol of the partnership between Moscow and Beijing against the West, MM. Putin and Xi will have a bilateral interview Thursday, during which they will mention “the most important questions” including “the Ukrainian file and Russian-American relations”, according to Mr. Ouchakov.
And Chinese soldiers and 12 other countries will parade, he announced, despite kyiv’s warnings which said on Tuesday that Ukraine would receive any foreign participation in the parade as “support for the aggressor State”.
“Walking with (the Russians) is sharing the responsibility for the blood of Ukrainian children, civilians and military,” said Ukrainian diplomacy in a statement.
Several attacks
Vladimir Putin had already unilaterally decreed, on the occasion of the Pascal weekend in April, a short ceasefire, which had led to a drop in intensity of clashes without being completely respected by the two camps. He has always refused to stop unopacked of 30 days, as proposed by kyiv and Washington.
In Ukraine, several Russian attacks have killed at least three people in the regions of Odessa, Donetsk and Kherson, according to regional authorities.
In the east, the Russian army claimed Tuesday the capture of the locality of Lyssivka.
Russians and Ukrainians also announced that they had exchanged 205 prisoners of war from each camp.
This article was published automatically. Sources: ATS / AFP
