Russia reveals intensity of mass Ukrainian drone attack

Moscow’s forces have fended off hundreds of drones and more than a dozen missiles and bombs, the Defense Ministry has said

Russian anti-aircraft defenses have repelled a large-scale Ukrainian attack, downing two Western-supplied HIMARS rockets and over 500 drones, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday. Five long-range Neptune guided missiles and six JDAM precision-guided aerial bombs were also destroyed.

Aerial assaults have increased in the lead-up to a ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which is scheduled to take effect from midnight on May 7–8 through midnight on May 10–11.

Intended as a humanitarian gesture to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, the three-day pause also opens the door to potential “direct negotiations with Kiev without preconditions,” Moscow said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Wednesday that Russia still plans to offer the 3-day ceasefire.

By ramping up drone strikes on Russia, “the Kiev regime continues to demonstrate its essence, its inclination to terrorist actions,” Peskov said.

READ MORE: Record civilian casualties from Ukrainian strikes last week – Moscow

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has declined to support the proposed ceasefire, calling it a Russian “attempt at manipulation.” According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s war crimes investigator Rodion Miroshnik, the past week saw a record number of civilian casualties from drone attacks, with 15 people killed and 142 others injured.