Russia says it intends to go ahead with its proposed three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which is due to begin on Thursday
If Ukraine violates the truce, announced by Vladimir Putin, it will be met with an "appropriate response", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says
Ukraine thinks this proposed truce is nothing more than a theatrical gesture, writes our correspondent in Kyiv Frank Gardner
Overnight, Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow shut airports across the capital for several hours
Meanwhile, Russian strikes in Sumy and Odesa killed four people – while Russia says Ukraine killed three people on the Russian side of the border
Russia's ceasefire plan will coincide with a major parade in Moscow, marking victory in Europe in World War Two
Edited by Alex Smith and Johanna Chisholm, with Frank Gardner and Joel Gunter reporting from Kyiv
For the second night in a row, Russia says Ukraine has launched an overnight drone attack targeting Moscow.
The city's mayor says at least 19 Ukrainian drones were destroyed, while the Russian military says it shot down more than 100 across the country.
Russia, meanwhile, has continued its attacks on Ukraine – with strikes hitting Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa. Authorities say at least four people have been killed.
The exchange of fire comes just three days before a major parade in Moscow, marking victory in Europe in World War Two – and, as the BBC's Russia editor Steve Rosenberg writes, there is a sense of nervousness in the Russian capital.
A Kremlin spokesman says Russia will stick to its plans for a unilaterally-imposed ceasefire between 8 and 11 May – coinciding with those celebrations – but warned "an appropriate response will be given immediately" if Ukraine does not also halt fire.
We're ending our live coverage, you can read the latest in our news story here:
Last night's Russian drone strikes hit the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Sumy and Odesa – killing at least four people, according to officials.
These pictures, taken this morning, show some of the damage caused by the attacks.
Firefighters battle a blaze in the Barabashovo market in Kharkiv, after it was hit by a drone attack
In Odesa, two people people sit on a bench outside a house damaged by drone strikes
Residential buildings were among those hit in Odesa
Vitaliy Shevchenko
Russia editor, BBC Monitoring
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says that Russia intends to go ahead with plans for a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, even after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed them as a “theatrical play”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said that Russia would observe a truce between 8 and 11 May to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War Two.
Speaking to journalists during a daily press briefing, Peskov says: “President Putin’s initiative for a temporary ceasefire during the holidays is topical, and relevant orders have been issued by the supreme commander-in-chief [Putin].”
He continues: “Fire will be halted, but should the Kyiv regime fail to do the same and should it continue trying to strike our positions and facilities, then an appropriate response will be given immediately.”
Joel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv
As of last month, roughly 2,500 civilians were left in the small town Bilopillia in the far north of Sumy – down from nearly 16,000 before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
That number has dropped again as Russian air attacks on the village, just 7km (4.3 miles) from the Russian border, have intensified over the past few days.
Three people were killed in Bilopillia and a neighbouring village, Vorozhba, in Russian attacks last night.
“Yesterday 15 aerial bombs hit Bilopillia,” says Denys Naumov, 32, a volunteer emergency worker with humanitarian aid organisation Proliska, who has been driving in and out of the village to evacuate civilians.
“The tempo of attacks is increasing,” Naumov says. “People no longer have time to pack their things, they grab what they can and we take them out.”
The evacuees are taken to the nearby city of Sumy, which offers greater protection from Russian strikes than the border villages. Sumy itself, however, was hit over Easter by a devastating strike.
Naumov says he expects to return later today to rescue more people from Bilopillia, despite the persistent danger.
“God willing, I return,” he says.
In an update on last night's attacks, the Ukrainian Air Force says it shot down 54 out of 136 drones launched by Russia.
"The enemy air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile units, electronic warfare equipment and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine," it says in a post on Telegram.
It adds that among the missiles were Iranian-made Shahed drones.
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As we've been reporting, Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region was among the areas hit by Russian drone attacks overnight.
Four people were wounded there, officials say, but there have been no reported fatalities.
Kharkiv's Barabashovo market was hit, with firefighters at the scene battling the blaze this morning.
There's been a fresh drone attack in the south of Ukraine this morning, according to the mayor of the city of Nikopol.
In a post on Telegram at 11:34 local time (09:34 BST), Oleksandr Sayuk said an air raid warning was in place. Twenty minutes later, he said the attack was still ongoing.
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, in Kyiv
"A three-day ceasefire? Why not 30 days? Or longer?"
That’s the view here in Ukraine, where people remain sceptical that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposed three-day ceasefire is nothing more than a theatrical gesture.
His hastily announced Easter truce was broken numerous times by both sides.
Speaking to journalists during his recent visit to Prague, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was no trust in Putin’s offer.
"They kill until [May] 7th, pause for a couple of comfortable days, then start attacking again on the 11th," he said. Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day US ceasefire proposal, but Russia has not.
There are several possible explanations for why Moscow has proposed this short ceasefire, due to start at midnight on Wednesday night.
Perhaps the most obvious one is that Putin wants nothing to disrupt the Victory Day parade on Friday.
The last thing he wants is a swarm of Ukrainian drones penetrating Moscow’s airspace above Red Square with all the world watching.
Another explanation is that Russian troops on the front line are exhausted, as are the Ukrainians, and this would give them a breathing space.
And then there is President Trump. The Kremlin, rattled by some of his recent comments, is keen to convince him that Russia does indeed want this war to end.
President Putin attends a meeting with Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin
Putin's Easter truce
A day before Easter last month, Vladimir Putin announced a 30-hour pause in hostilities in Ukraine for "humanitarian considerations".
Volodymyr Zelensky called the Russian president's words "empty" and both sides continued to accuse the other of violating the ceasefire over the Easter weekend.
May ceasefire
At the end of April, the Kremlin unilaterally announced another ceasefire – this time to run from 8 May to 11 May to coincide with victory celebrations marking the end of World War Two.
In response, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called for an immediate ceasefire lasting "at least 30 days".
A 30-day truce?
Longer term, the US has been engaged in discussions with both Ukraine and Russia in the hopes of reaching an agreement on a permanent peace deal.
Representatives from Ukraine and the US reached an agreement on a 30-day truce after a meeting in Saudi Arabia in March, but this was turned down by Russia.
At the start of this month, US Vice-President JD Vance said the war in Ukraine "is not going to end any time soon" and stressed that it was up to Moscow and Kyiv to reach an agreement.
Russia's Victory Day celebrations continued last year, despite the ongoing war in Ukraine
On Friday, Russia is due to celebrate its annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square. This year, it coincides with a ceasefire in Ukraine, unilaterally announced by Russia last month.
The celebration marks the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, bringing an end to World War Two in Europe.
The Soviet Union lost around 27 million citizens during the war – more than any other country in the conflict.
As a result, Vladimir Putin has used the national significance of the day to promote the idea of a heroic victory against fascism – with a show of Russia's military strength and hardware.
Last year though, our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg reported that the annual Red Square military parade felt different, amid the war in Ukraine.
“We mark Victory Day at a time when we are carrying out the Special Military Operation,” President Vladimir Putin said in his address. “Those taking part on the frontline are our heroes.”
But signs of the conflict's toll were evident. Just one tank was present, and only 9,000 people marched across Red Square – less than would have been expected before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Steve Rosenberg
Russia editor, reporting from Moscow
Moscow airports have reopened after last night’s drone attack.
Flights had been halted at four Moscow airports. On social media, Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that at least 19 drones had been destroyed on their approach to the Russian capital.
There are no reported casualties.
It’s the second night in a row that Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow, and there has been no major disruption.
But it will add to the sense of nervousness here, just three days before a showcase military parade on Red Square.
The event will mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Among world leaders expected to attend is China’s President Xi Jinping.
This market in Kharkiv, Ukraine was one of the areas hit by overnight attacks
Overnight, aerial attacks were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine – here's what you need to know:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has this morning paid tribute to his country's frontline soldiers.
"It is always our infantry who stand on the most difficult frontlines," he writes in a post on X.
Ukraine is marking its Infantry Day today, which was established six years ago to celebrate frontline troops.
"Mechanized, motorized infantry, rifle, assault, and mountain assault units are the backbone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," he adds.
"They hold the defense, lead assaults, stop the enemy, and protect our land."
"The courage, strength, and skill of our infantry are undeniable… Ukraine stands as long as the infantry stands".
With attacks on both Ukraine and Russia overnight, let's take a closer look at the current state of the war.
Russia rapidly advanced in spring 2022 but Ukraine regained ground in autumn of that year
The fighting has mostly been in eastern Ukraine, with little change to the front line in recent months
Ukraine originally made a surprise incursion into Kursk in August 2024, to create a buffer zone and protect Sumy and surrounding areas, while also hoping to use it as a bargaining chip in future negotiationsJoel Gunter
Reporting from Kyiv
Four people were killed in Ukraine overnight and this morning in Russian strikes, Ukrainian officials say.
Three were killed and seven injured in the north Sumy region, according to local military officials, after Russia hit villages with guided aerial bombs, mortars and rockets.
Strikes hit the villages of Vorozhba and Bilopillia, officials say, prompting emergency evacuations.
Sumy is close to the Russian region of Kursk, where Russian officials say three people were killed overnight in Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine says some of its forces are still active inside Kursk, nine months after a surprise incursion there by Ukrainian troops.
Separately, one person was killed in a drone attack on the southern city of Odesa, authorities say, and four were wounded in the eastern city of Kharkiv, in an attack using Shahed drones.
Olga Ivshina
BBC Russian Service
Last year was the deadliest for Russian forces since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine – at least 45,287 people were killed.
At the start of the war, losses happened in waves during battles for key locations, but 2024 saw a month-on-month increase in the death toll as the front line slowly edged forward.
This enables us to estimate that Russia lost at least 27 lives for every square kilometre of Ukrainian territory captured.
The BBC Russian Service, in collaboration with independent media outlet Mediazona and a team of volunteers, has processed open source data from Russian cemeteries, military memorials and obituaries.
So far, we have identified the names of 106,745 Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The true number is clearly much higher. Military experts estimate our number may cover anywhere between 45% and 65% of Russian troop deaths.
Zelensky said at the start of his Prague visit at the weekend that a ceasefire with Russia was possible at any moment
Ceasefires in Ukraine of various durations have been proposed this year – but as the latest attacks highlight, none has taken hold.
In March, Kyiv accepted a 30-day ceasefire proposed by the US. And Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted in recent days this deal could still be implemented at "any moment" – but Russia has so far failed to agree to the terms.
"We believe that a ceasefire is possible at any moment, even starting today, and should last at least 30 days to give diplomacy a real chance," Zelensky said on Sunday while visiting the Czech president.
But Zelensky threw cold water on Vladimir Putin's proposed three-day ceasefire, set to come into effect on 8 May, denouncing it as a "theatrical show".
Seventy-two hours, Zelensky suggested, would not provide enough time to settle the conflict.
Decorations have been going up in Moscow as the country commemorates the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany
The attacks in Russia and Ukraine come just two days before a ceasefire in Ukraine – unilaterally announced by Russia last month – is due to begin.
The ceasefire is set to run between 8 May and 11 May – overlapping with Russia commemorating Victory Day.
Unlike Britain, France and the US – which celebrate VE (Victory in Europe) Day on 8 May – Russia commemorates Nazi Germany's surrender the following day, as Germany officially signed the document by the time it was 9 May in Russia.
The huge parade of weapons and tanks in Moscow's Red Square has long been seen as a chance for the Kremlin to put its military might on display.
The event typically draws high-level guests – but Ukraine's president warned at the weekend that he couldn't guarantee the security of foreign officials planning to attend the parade on Friday.
Last month, both Ukraine and Russia accused each other of breaching a 30-hour Easter ceasefire announced by Putin. And as our next post explains, Ukraine has dismissed the ceasefire due to begin on Thursday.
We've just had another update from Kursk, where the regional governor Alexander Khinshtein now says three people have been killed in Ukrainian "attacks" in Kursk.
In a translated social media update, Khinshtein says "seven people were taken to the hospital" after Ukrainian attacks, while "three more were killed".
He also says Ukrainian drone strikes injured civilians in the Glushkovsky district near the border – it's unclear whether this was part of the same attack.
Kyiv is yet to comment.
The north-eastern Kharkiv region of Ukraine was hit overnight by Russian drone attacks. Among the places hit was the Barabashovo market in the city of Kharkiv, most of which burned down overnight:
Firefighters work at the Barabashovo market in Kharkiv
Firefighters battle flames inside the market structure
A vendor sits outside the market
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Russia says it stands by three-day ceasefire plan after Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow – BBC
