At 00:00 on May 6, Ukraine announced a unilateral ceasefire. Russia violated it within minutes. By the morning of May 7, the Armed Forces of Ukraine recorded 108 attack drones and three missiles — data confirmed by Ukraine's Air Force and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha. Of these, 89 drones were shot down or suppressed, while the remaining nine, along with the missiles, struck eight facilities.
What happened overnight
The most documented incident involved two drones hitting a kindergarten in central Sumy. A security guard was killed, two others wounded. No children were present at the facility. Significant damage to civilian objects was also recorded in Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions. In parallel, the Armed Forces repelled dozens of assault actions on key front lines and dozens of air strikes using guided bombs.
There was no silence on the front from the first second. This is not a departure from the ceasefire — it is its complete disregard by Moscow.
Why Kyiv announced the ceasefire
Zelenskyy took this step after Russia announced its own pause on May 8–9 — on the days marking the 81st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Kyiv proposed extending the ceasefire, effectively giving Moscow a public test of its readiness for diplomacy. European partners viewed this gesture as a demonstration of peacefulness.
"Moscow once again ignored a realistic and fair call to cease fire."
Andriy Sybiha, Foreign Minister of Ukraine
"Long-range sanctions" — what lies behind this
Ukraine's response, as formulated by Zelenskyy through his own terminology: "long-range sanctions" — strikes on Russian territory in response to every attack on Ukraine. The principle is mirror-like: they strike us — we strike back. The President warned that Ukraine "will act fairly — day by day."
However, specific targets, timeline, or response criteria have not been publicly announced. "Long-range sanctions" is a framing for domestic and international audiences, rather than a documented military doctrine.
- 108 drones and 3 missiles on the first night after the ceasefire announcement
- 89 intercepted or suppressed by electronic warfare
- Strikes on Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions
- Dozens of assault actions on the front — in parallel with overnight strikes
What's next
Russia, according to Zelenskyy's assessment, is interested solely in "short-term silence on Red Square" on May 9 — not in a genuine ceasefire. If this is the case, pressure on the front may increase after the holiday events: Moscow does not need international backlash precisely on the day of the parade, but after that, restraining factors diminish.
The key question is not whether Ukraine will respond — but whether partners will document these violations as grounds for strengthening sanctions against Russia: if not, "long-range sanctions" will remain Kyiv's only real instrument of response.
