Putin’s 3-day ceasefire comes into effect, but Ukraine claims Russia already broke it

A three-day ceasefire in Ukraine has begun. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared it last month. The ceasefire coincides with Russia's World War II Victory Day on Friday.

Russian state media reported that the ceasefire started at midnight local time on Wednesday. However, Ukraine’s Air Force claims Russia broke the ceasefire within hours. They reported guided bombs were launched over Sumy in northeastern Ukraine.

A bomb hit a home in Mykolaiv around 3 a.m., killing a 55-year-old woman and wounding her son. Another bomb landed in Vorozhba, injuring a 70-year-old woman about half an hour later. CNN has not verified these claims independently.

Putin ordered all military actions to pause from May 8 to May 11 for humanitarian reasons, according to the Kremlin. Kyiv rejected this short-term truce when it was announced. President Volodymyr Zelensky called it a “theatrical performance.”

Zelensky reiterated support for a longer US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia rejected. The chosen dates for the ceasefire align with Victory Day celebrations, including a military parade on May 9.

This event will be attended by leaders from friendly countries like China’s Xi Jinping. It is expected to be used by Putin to promote propaganda framing Moscow's actions as fighting against "Nazis" in Kyiv.

In related news, Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow overnight into Wednesday for the second night in a row. This forced Russian authorities to temporarily halt air traffic at 13 airports, including four in Moscow.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that one drone heading toward the city was shot down on Wednesday afternoon. The airport shutdown could embarrass Moscow as delegations arrive for the parade on Friday.

Leaders attending include Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Vietnam’s President To Lam. Ukrainian officials have stated they cannot be responsible for events within Russia due to the ongoing war.

Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine would not create a pleasant atmosphere for Putin's exit from isolation on May 9. This unilateral ceasefire is Putin's second short-term truce announcement in less than a month.

Earlier, he instructed troops to stop military activity over Easter for about 30 hours. Ukraine accused Russia of breaching that truce but noted some fighting had slowed along certain front lines.