Ukraine Ramps Up Drone Strikes Ahead of Moscow’s Parade

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(Bloomberg) — Ukraine conducted heavy overnight drone attacks on Russia, giving no indication that Kyiv is ready to observe Moscow’s self-declared ceasefire despite threats of retaliation if Victory Day celebrations on Red Square are disrupted.

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Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces intercepted 264 Ukrainian drones between midnight and 7 a.m. local time. Moscow alone faced more than 30 strikes after midnight, when a Russian-declared ceasefire that was supposed to run until the end of May 9 came into effect.

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Ukraine’s attack spanned from southern Russia to the Urals, some 1,700 kilometers (1,056 miles) from the border, and targeted key energy infrastructure. It also temporarily halted operations at 13 airports in the south after Ukrainian drones hit an administrative building at the air traffic control center in Rostov-on-Don, the Transportation Ministry said.

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The overnight strikes underscore how Kyiv has advanced its drone capabilities over the course of the war, allowing it to disrupt activity inside Russia — even while not being able to target most Russian cities with missiles.

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The Kremlin will host its annual World War II Victory Day parade in Moscow on Saturday. Russia has warned Ukraine that any attempt to disrupt the celebrations in Moscow would trigger a retaliatory missile strike on central Kyiv. The Russian Foreign Ministry also said this week it urged accredited embassies to take that threat seriously and evacuate staff and citizens from Ukraine’s capital.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy proposed a separate ceasefire for May 5–6, though Russia continued to target Ukraine throughout that period. 

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Overnight, when Moscow’s declared halt to hostilities was supposed to be in effect, Russian forces launched more than 140 strikes on Ukrainian frontline positions and attempted 10 assaults, mostly near Sloviansk, Zelenskiy said on X Friday. Ukraine also said Russia targeted several regions with dozens of drones.

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“All of this clearly shows that, on the Russian side, there was not even a token attempt to cease fire,” Zelenskiy said, adding that Ukraine would continue to respond in kind while defending itself.

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Late on Thursday, the Ukrainian leader also urged foreign leaders intending to visit Moscow in the coming days to reconsider. Planning to attend the events on Red Square is “an odd desire at a time like this,” he said, adding, “We do not recommend it.” 

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Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar and Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith are among the guests set to attend the Victory Day events in Moscow.

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The Russian Defense Ministry announced last week that the parade would take place without heavy military equipment for the first time since 2007, in what the Kremlin said was a response to potential security threats. That highlights how Moscow is now taking the threat from Ukrainian drones seriously.

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Ukraine overnight also hit an oil refinery in Yaroslavl, more than 700 kilometers from the border, according to Zelenskiy. The plant is co-owned by Rosneft PJSC and Gazprom Neft PJSC and can process 15 million tons of crude a year, equivalent to around 300,000 barrels per day. Russia hasn’t commented on the strike.

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