No Russian drone strikes reported on first night of Putin’s declared three-day truce, but Ukraine reports guided bomb strikes on Sumy region

Meduza.io

No Russian drone attacks were recorded on Ukrainian territory overnight on May 8. Ukrainian forces also did not report any Russian missile strikes on major cities. Reuters linked the pause in attacks to the three-day ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, the agency noted that Ukrainian forces reported Russian strikes using guided aerial bombs on the Sumy region during the night. According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, the strikes hit residential areas, destroying one home, damaging several others, and killing one civilian. A woman was rescued from the rubble and taken to a hospital.

Ukraine has not formally joined the ceasefire, but unlike the previous night, there were no large-scale Ukrainian drone attacks early on May 8. Air raid alerts for drones and missile threats were issued in Russia’s Kursk and Ryazan regions, but there were no reports of drones being shot down.

Ukrainian parliament member Oleksiy Honcharenko said that “Ukraine is staying silent officially, but is also joining the ceasefire.” He said troops had received such instructions, according to a post on his Telegram channel. Later, Honcharenko shared a photo showing the aftermath of a missile strike on Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region. However, as several Ukrainian Telegram channels noted, the first photos from Kostiantynivka appeared just after midnight, suggesting the missile may have been launched before the ceasefire announced by Putin took effect.

Putin announced the three-day ceasefire, from May 8 through May 10, in connection with the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that if Russia were genuinely interested in a real cessation of hostilities, both sides should support the U.S. proposal for an immediate 30-day ceasefire.