Kyiv berates Moscow’s request for ceasefire while launching ‘missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it’

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” for seeking a truce so it can stage a military parade in Moscow as 23 people were killed in attacks on Ukraine.

At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday in a strike on southern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor said. “Russia ended the life of 12 people,” Ivan Fedorov posted on Telegram.

It had been almost three years since Vladimir Putin had kissed a child in public. On April 27, amid an unprecedented wave of — albeit mild — criticism regarding the country’s situation, the Russian president repeated a gesture of closeness to the people that he hadn’t practiced since the Wagner Group rebellion in June 2023. The Russian leader kissed a young gymnast on the forehead and smiled as his approval ratings plummeted to their lowest level since the start of his offensive in Ukraine. Three days later, he hugged another girl in public. Support for the president remains immense, but its decline has been notable since the economic crisis became visible last year, and the situation appears set to worsen.

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