Two people were killed and 34 wounded after a long-range missile and drone strike hit Russia’s Chuvashia region, more than 600 miles inside the country, prompting a state of emergency. Russia said it intercepted 289 drones overnight, and a separate missile alert sounded in Khanty-Mansiysk. The attack comes as Moscow scales back its May 9 Victory Day parade and warns of potential mobile internet restrictions. Kyiv announced a unilateral ceasefire starting the night of May 5–6 while fighting continued in Ukraine, with deadly strikes in Poltava and Kramatorsk.
Rare Strike Deep Inside Russia Kills Two As Moscow Scales Back Victory Day Parade
Emergency services work to extinguish a vehicle fire on Tuesday following a Russian drone attack in Ukraine's Kyiv region. - Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP
Two people were killed and 34 others — including one child — were wounded after a combined long-range missile and drone strike struck Russia’s Chuvashia region on Tuesday. The strike, more than 600 miles inside Russian territory, prompted Chuvashia to declare a state of emergency.
Strike, Interceptions And Alerts
The Russian Defense Ministry said it intercepted 289 drones overnight. Separately, a missile alert sounded in Khanty-Mansiysk, roughly 1,200 miles from the Ukrainian border, the regional governor reported.
Ukrainian Response And Targets
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the operation targeted multiple sites in Chuvashia, “including military-industrial complex facilities,” and described Ukraine’s long-range strikes as a just response to Russian attacks. Russia has said its air defenses engaged hundreds of incoming unmanned aerial vehicles and missiles.
Victory Day Preparations And Security Measures
The strikes come as Moscow prepares for its May 9 Victory Day parade. Officials say this year’s event will be scaled back and will not include displays of heavy weaponry amid heightened security concerns. Telecom operators and some banks warned Moscow residents that mobile internet and text messaging restrictions could be imposed in the run-up to the parade; rolling outages since early March have already disrupted daily life in major cities.
Ceasefires Announced — Differing Timetables
Russia announced a unilateral ceasefire for May 8–9 and said it expects Kyiv to respect the pause, warning it would respond to any disruptions. Zelensky said he had not received an official request concerning that ceasefire and announced Ukraine would begin its own unilateral ceasefire starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5–6, saying human life is more important than anniversary celebrations.
Continued Fighting In Ukraine
Fighting continued inside Ukraine on Tuesday. A double-tap missile strike on a gas production facility in Poltava killed at least five people and injured 37; Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said two of the dead were rescue workers responding to the initial blast. Local officials in Donetsk reported a separate strike on Kramatorsk that killed five more people.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that, on Monday night into Tuesday, Russia launched 11 ballistic missiles and 154 drones that struck regions including Poltava, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
Reporting compiled from multiple sources, including CNN.
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