Kremlin accused Ukraine of breaking truce while Russian strikes continued - ISW reports
Photo: Russians struck a kindergarten in Sumy on May 6 (National_Police)
Russia ignored the ceasefire declared by Ukraine starting May 6. At the same time, the Kremlin accused Kyiv of allegedly violating the truce, despite Russian forces attacking Ukraine from the very beginning of the so-called “silence regime,” according to the Institute for the Study of War.
According to analysts, Russian and occupation officials “coalesced” around strikes on occupied Dzhankoi in Crimea that took place on the night of May 5, before Ukraine’s unilateral ceasefire began at 00:00 on May 6.
They “falsely claiming that Ukraine violated its own ceasefire.”
Head of the occupation administration in Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, said shortly before 10:30 p.m. local time on May 5 that Ukrainian drones were targeting occupied Crimea. Just 10 minutes after midnight on May 6, he claimed Ukrainian forces had struck occupied Dzhankoi, implying the attack occurred before the ceasefire began.
Two Russian State Duma deputies also stated that the Ukrainian strike took place shortly before the midnight start of the ceasefire.
"The Russian accusation is not compelling as combat missions that occur before a ceasefire do not violate the ceasefire,” ISW noted.
Analysts also pointed out that Russian forces had previously continued strikes and assaults up until the start of other “silence regimes” announced by the Kremlin.
This includes the 30-hour ceasefire in April 2025, the Victory Day truce, and the Easter ceasefire.
ISW emphasized that during the so-called Easter ceasefire on April 11–12, 2026, Russian troops executed four Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Broken ceasefire and attacks on Ukraine
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a ceasefire beginning at midnight on May 6. However, Russia violated the truce and continued attacks on Ukrainian cities.
Later in the day, Russian strikes continued. Two enemy drones hit a kindergarten building in central Sumy, sparking a fire.
Rescuers later recovered the bodies of two female employees from under the rubble, while seven other people were injured.
On the night of May 7, Russian forces again attacked Ukraine with more than 100 strike drones launched from seven directions. Eight drone impacts were recorded across six locations, along with falling debris.
Following the attacks, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine would respond symmetrically to Russia’s actions.
