Ukraine launched Tuesday a massive attack of drones against Russia, targeting Moscow in particular before the arrival of dozens of foreign leaders, including Xi Jinping, for the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany.
After facing a wave of 105 drones during the night, Russia reported in the evening on Tuesday new Ukrainian attacks involving more than 70 machines, which targeted a dozen regions of the country.
These attacks have forced Moscow airports to impose temporary restrictions on their operation on several occasions, 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.
About twenty of these drones targeting Moscow and its region were intercepted by the Russian anti -aircraft defense, according to the authorities. Drone debris fell into the south of Moscow without making any victims, but in the British region, a border of Ukraine, a woman was killed.
On the Ukrainian side, a Russian ballistic missile shot killed three people and injured 11 others, including children, in the Soumy (North) region, faced with an upsurge in strikes.
It is in this context that the Russian capital must host a large military parade on Friday in the presence of Vladimir Putin and which 29 foreign leaders are expected, including the Chinese Xi Jinping and the Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The “topical” truce
Ukraine, after more than three years of a Russian offensive which led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers, still claims, under pressure from Washington, an “unconditional” judgment of hostilities before negotiations with Russia.
Moscow, who believes that kyiv would use a break of this type to rearm,, on the contrary, wants concrete commitments on his maximalist requests before committing to an overall end of hostilities.
The Kremlin 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, which was described as “attempted manipulation” by its Ukrainian counterpart Volodyr Zelensky.
Moscow assured Tuesday that his truce remained “topical”.
“If the kyiv regime does not do the same (stop fighting, note) and continues to try to strike 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.
Xi-Putin meeting
In the Red Square, the Russian authorities planned for a large -scale parade on Friday for this 80e birthday.
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 the warnings of kyiv who said on Tuesday that Ukraine would receive any foreign participation in the parade as “support for the aggressor State”.
“Walk with [les Russes]is to share the responsibility for the blood of Ukrainian children, civilians and soldiers, ”said Ukrainian diplomacy in a statement.
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 both camps. He has always refused to stop unopacked of 30 days, as proposed by kyiv and Washington.
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.
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