1,567 drones: Putin rages against Ukraine after three-day truce
At least 22 people have died and more than a hundred have been injured in a massive attack
MoscowThe three-day truce agreed between Russia and Ukraine with the mediation of Donald Trump, which expired on Monday night, was marked by three elements: Volodymyr Zelensky refrained from launching drones against Red Square during Volodymyr Putin's military parade; if this agreement were violated, Moscow threatened a retaliatory attack against Kyiv; and, in a humanitarian gesture, each side committed to releasing a thousand prisoners. 24 hours after the ceasefire ended, the Russian army launched one of the most massive bombardments against Ukrainian cities since the start of the war, and the Kremlin resisted carrying out the promised exchange of captives.
the ceasefire promoted to observe Soviet Victory Day“Certainly, these are not the actions of someone who believes the war is nearing its end,” said the Ukrainian president, referring to words from Putin, who had implied that the conflict would soon end. “It is important that our partners do not remain silent in the face of this attack,” he added, and assured that they would respond “fairly.” Significantly, Hungary —which has a new government since last Saturday— has summoned the Russian ambassador for the first time in response to the bombing of western Ukraine, in a region with a Hungarian minority.
During the same period, Kyiv launched 467 drones against Russian territory and damaged a refinery in Yaroslavl, about 900 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, a gas processing plant in Astrakhan, near the Caspian Sea, and the Tamán oil port, on the Black Sea.
The President of the United States had predicted that, “with luck,” the ceasefire promoted to commemorate Soviet Victory Day against Nazi Germany the measure would be “the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard war.” In the 72 hours it was in effect, both armies ceased long-range attacks, which had been causing havoc in the preceding days, while assault operations and the use of drones on the front continued. However, once the truce period expired, Russia took advantage to massively send unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles it had stored against Ukraine. Zelensky does not believe it is “a coincidence” that the bombing took place just as Trump meets with Xi in China.
The exchange of prisoners, on hold
Kyiv also complains that Moscow is hindering the prisoner exchange agreed under the truce. The Ukrainian commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, regrets that Ukraine has provided the lists of prisoners to be released and the negotiating team has completed all the necessary steps, but that Russia is postponing the materialization of the commitment. “Even when you reach an agreement with the Russians, you can never be one hundred percent sure that they will respect it,” he says. The Russian government, on the other hand, defends itself with the argument that coordinating the names of the soldiers to be handed over is a "complex" process.
