Pius Nsabe
Ukraine struck Russia in a series of drone attacks on Saturday, with Volodymyr Zelenskyy also rejecting a proposed three-day truce after Russia breached an earlier agreement many times.
Local Russian officials, according to a report, said that apartment blocks in the Black Sea town of Novorossiysk were damaged by Ukrainian drone strikes.
Krasnodar region governor Venyamin Kondratiev said the Black Sea coast had undergone a “mass attack” by the Ukrainian military.
Five people, including two children, were injured in the Novorossiysk attack. Footage from the scene showed the scale of the damage on the apartment blocks.A local state of emergency was declared as a result.
Ukrainian drones were also shot down over Crimea and several other regions, Russian officials said.
Meanwhile, a church near the town of Belgorod, hundreds of miles to the north, was also hit by a detonating drone, with dramatic images showing the roof of the building on fire.
It came as Ukraine rejected an offer of a three-day truce next weekend to mark the Soviet Union’s victory in the Second World War, traditionally celebrated on May 9.
Mr Zelenskyy hit out at the Russian leader, branding the offer a “performance” and rejecting the idea of a temporary peace.He said he was ready for a truce, but for 30 days, rather than three.
It comes after Putin allegedly breached his so-called Easter truce, despite committing to a pause in hostilities.
Mr Zelenskyy said: “This is more of a theatrical performance on his part.“Because in two or three days, it is impossible to develop a plan for the next steps to end the war.”
Ukraine will not be playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin’s exit from isolation on May 9,” he said.The theoretical 72-hour ceasefire would begin on May 8 and coincide with the arrival of several world leaders in Moscow to mark VE Day.
Despite these offers of temporary ceasefires, Russia has rejected any attempt to find a lasting peace, blocking a 30-day pause in fighting proposed by the US.Branding the 72-hour deal “unserious”, Mr Zelenskyy said any deal must be able to bring about a lasting peace.