Ukraine has declared a significant military breakthrough. They downed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea, the first time they had used a seaborne drone to perform such an operation. This development comes as Ukraine’s military continues to assert a presence within Russia’s Kursk region, despite Moscow’s assertions of having completely recaptured the area following a prolonged incursion by Ukrainian forces.
On the backdrop of these military actions, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, coinciding with the May 9 celebrations. Putin had previously invoked “humanitarian considerations” as the basis for this ceasefire. In Ukraine, skepticism is casting a shadow on this momentary cheer as to what this announcement actually means.
Over the past few weeks, Ukraine has turned to drone warfare more and more to level the playing field against Russian forces. Ukrainian drones hit the heart of Moscow for the second night in a row. As a result, that led to cancellations of air travel at four airports in the Russian capital. On Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that Russian authorities intercepted and destroyed at least 19 Ukrainian drones. The drones were headed to the Windy City overnight.
Continuing to strengthen their defensive operations, Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down four drones around Moscow just last night. In one night, Russia reportedly shot down 105 Ukrainian drones over the western regions alone. This incident underscored the still lingering high intensity of bilateral aerial clashes over the two countries.
In the wake of these increasing tensions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for China to clarify its intentions towards Russia. In April, Ukraine brought down two Chinese-made fighters. They allege that thousands of Chinese operatives have been absorbed into the Russian military’s ranks.
Zelensky expressed concerns over China’s role, emphasizing that his country “cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation.” He characterized Putin’s ceasefire announcement as an attempt to manipulate public sentiment, stating it seemed like “playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin’s exit from isolation on 9 May.”
The war is still raging and each country must contend with military ground operations and international political strife.
