All Russian military groups in the military operation zone have ceased hostilities since midnight on May 8, as part of the ceasefire declared by Russia, the press service of the Ministry of Defense reported.
“Despite the ceasefire, the Ukrainian armed forces continued to strike at the positions of our troops, as well as civilian targets in the border areas of the Belgorod and Kursk regions, using drones and artillery“, the statement said.
Amid the shelling, the Russian forces responded to the ceasefire violations with retaliatory strikes, the ministry added.
According to the Ministry of Defense, a total of 1,365 violations have been registered in the military operation zone ceasefire violations.
„In addition, as of midnight on May 8, Russian air defense units outside the special military operations zone have shot down 396 air attack vehicles, including 390 unmanned aerial vehicles and six long-range guided missiles „Neptune“, the Defense Ministry said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his readiness to declare a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations during a conversation with US President Donald Trump on April 29. The Defense Ministry said the ceasefire would remain in effect until the end of the day on May 9. Russia expects Ukraine to follow suit and declare a ceasefire, the defense ministry stressed.
“If the Kiev regime tries to carry out its criminal plans to disrupt the celebrations of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian armed forces will launch a massive retaliatory missile strike on the center of Kiev“, the Defense Ministry warned.
The ministry noted that Russia had previously refrained from such actions and had warned civilians in the Ukrainian capital and employees of foreign diplomatic missions to leave Kiev promptly.
The Governor of the Rostov Region, Yuriy Slyusar, announced on the morning of May 8 that a missile and drone attack had been repelled in the region and the Sea of Azov. “As a result of the fall of drone debris, there is damage in the cities of Taganrog, Bataysk, Rostov-on-Don and Myasnikovo district“, he wrote in Telegram.
A drone strike on the administrative building of the branch of “South Russian Air Navigation“ in Rostov-on-Don on the morning of May 8 temporarily suspended the operation of 13 airports. A nine-year-old boy was injured by debris from a downed drone that fell in Yelets, Lipetsk region.
Vnukovo Airport in Moscow switched to servicing flights by agreement due to the introduction of temporary restrictions on the use of airspace in the airport area.