Russian forces launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight into Tuesday and during the day, killing at least 22 people and wounding more than 80 others. The strikes targeted civilian areas and energy infrastructure in several regions, occurring hours before Ukraine planned to begin its own unilateral ceasefire.

In Zaporizhzhia, a southern city, 12 people died, and 16 were injured after aerial bombs hit residential buildings, a car repair service, and a car wash, sparking fires at a shop and an enterprise. Zaporizhzhia Governor Ivan Fedorov reported the damage via Telegram. Five civilians were killed and at least five others wounded in Kramatorsk, an eastern city near the front lines, when glide bombs struck the city center. In the Poltava region, five people died, and 37 were injured in a strike on a natural gas production facility. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia fired 11 Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 164 strike drones, including a jet-powered Shahed variant, with attacks also reported in Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

The assaults came as both sides announced competing unilateral ceasefires. Ukraine proposed an open-ended truce starting at midnight Tuesday, urging Russia to reciprocate, while Russia declared a pause from Friday to Saturday to mark Victory Day on May 9, commemorating the Soviet defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Russian officials warned of massive retaliatory strikes if Ukraine disrupts the Moscow parade.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the timing of the attacks as "utter cynicism," saying Russia could end the fighting at any moment but chose to strike before its holiday pause. "Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses," he stated. Zelenskyy's intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, noted that Ukraine would continue its ceasefire if Russia reciprocated.

The war, now in its fifth year since Russia's full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, has seen previous short-lived unilateral pauses, such as a 32-hour Easter truce in April that both sides accused the other of violating. Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy grid, with Kharkiv attacked 107 times this year alone.

Ukraine also conducted strikes inside Russia on Tuesday, killing two people in the Chuvash Republic with drones and hitting sites in Cheboksary and Kirishi with F-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, causing a fire at an oil refinery but no further casualties. Russia reported downing 289 Ukrainian drones.

Neither ceasefire includes agreed terms or monitoring, reflecting deep mutual distrust amid ongoing hostilities.