KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday accused Russia of "utter cynicism" for launching deadly attacks while also seeking a truce to stage a May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.
Several people were killed in overnight strikes that came after both Moscow and Kyiv announced unliteral ceasefires over different dates this week.
A Russian drone and missile attack on the central Poltava region killed three workers at an energy company and two rescuers responding to the hit, Ukrainian officials said.
One person was also killed in the northeastern Kharkiv region as Russia fired 11 ballistic missiles and 164 drones across the country, according to authorities.
"It is utter cynicism to ask for a ceasefire in order to hold propaganda celebrations while carrying out such missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it," Zelensky said in a statement in response to the attacks.
"Russia could cease fire at any moment, and this would stop the war and our responses," he added.
Moscow has announced a ceasefire during public World War II celebrations over May 9, and Kyiv has said it will halt fire over May 6.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, is the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions.
