The Bolodymyr Zelensky denounces thousands of violations of the ceasefire by Russia, calling it a tentative ceasefire and a new escalation in the war in Ukraine.
In in conditions of heightened tension on the war in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky is launching fierce accusations against Moscow, claiming that the recently announced ceasefire had no meaningful content and was used for communication purposes by the Kremlin. According to the Ukrainian president, thousands of incidents of ceasefire violations have been recorded, which, he stresses, demonstrates the failure of any attempt at de-escalation and leads to a new dangerous escalation of military operations in the region.
Kiev believes it is no longer bound by the unilateral ceasefire announced by Moscow ahead of the military parade for Victory Day in Moscow, Volodymyr Zelensky said, accusing Russia of being the first to violate the ceasefire agreement.
The Russian side derailed the ceasefire regime
“We can confirm that the Russian side derailed the ceasefire regime, Zelensky said in a statement on Wednesday morning, adding that Ukraine would decide later in the day on its next steps.
Earlier this week, Russia and Ukraine had announced competing cease-fire proposals while warning they would respond to any violation.
First, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a cease-fire for Friday and Saturday to mark this year’s World War II victory parade in Moscow. This event is a major symbolic event for the Kremlin. However, unlike in previous years when heavy weapons and military equipment were involved, this year it is planned that mainly military infantry platoons will participate.
Disastrous response
Moscow has warned that there will be a “disastrous response” in the event of a Ukrainian attack on the parade. “If the Kiev regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will launch a massive retaliatory missile strike on the centre of Kiev,” the Russian Defence Ministry said.
In response, Zelensky claimed that the Kremlin feared possible disruption of the parade by Ukrainian drones, adding that Moscow had not formally requested a ceasefire agreement from Kiev. The Ukrainian president countered with a ceasefire proposal of his own for Tuesday and Wednesday, calling on Russia to abide by it if it wants the ceremony to be held safely in Moscow.
“Ukraine has made it clear that it will act accordingly, taking into account Russia’s constant calls through the media and social media for a ceasefire during the parade in Moscow,” Zelensky said Wednesday, adding that “the daily killing of people” was not consistent with public celebrations such as the Russian parade.
The accusations
The Ukrainian president accused Russia of 1,820 cease-fire violations, which he said included bombings, ground attacks and air strikes.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that multiple attacks were carried out against Ukrainian targets on Tuesday, while accusing Ukrainian forces of hitting targets inside Russia and in occupied Crimea.
