Strike kills two people deep inside Russia, as Moscow prepares for scaled-back Victory Day parade
By Lauren Kent, Anna Chernova, Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN
(CNN) — Two people were killed in a long-range missile and drone strike on Russia’s Chuvashia region on Tuesday, marking a rare Ukrainian attack deep inside Russia, more than 600 miles from the border.
A further 34 people were wounded in the attack, including one child, according to Russian state media RIA Novosti. The Chuvashia region declared a state of emergency following the missile and drone strike.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack was aimed at several targets, “including military-industrial complex facilities” in Chuvashia. He added in a statement on social media that Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions continue to provide an entirely just response to Russian strikes.”
In total, the Russian Ministry of Defense said it intercepted 289 drones launched by Ukraine overnight into Tuesday.
A missile alert also sounded overnight in Russia’s Khanty-Mansiysk region, about 1,200 miles from the Ukrainian border, according to the region’s governor.
It comes as Moscow prepares to host its May 9 Victory Day parade to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany – an event that has been mired in security concerns and scaled back to no longer include displays of heavy weaponry.
People in Moscow have also been warned by telecoms operators and local banks that they could face restrictions on mobile internet and text messaging this week in the lead up to the parade, according to messages obtained by CNN. Since early March, rolling mobile internet outages have upended daily life, including in Russia’s biggest cities – intensifying the controls on the country’s already tight information space.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously indicated that the threat and recent success of long-range Ukrainian strikes was one motivation for additional security measures. The Kremlin has also ramped up personal security around President Vladimir Putin, according to a report from a European intelligence agency obtained by CNN.
Russia has also announced a unilateral ceasefire to mark the Victory Day celebrations, effective from May 8 to 9. The Russian Defense Ministry said it expects Kyiv to abide by the ceasefire and has threatened to strike back against Ukraine if it disrupts the holiday celebrations.
Zelensky said on X that he had not received an “official appeal” regarding the ceasefire. The Ukrainian President did, however, announce his own unilateral ceasefire starting on Wednesday.
“We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary ‘celebration.’ In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5–6,” Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine would act reciprocally “from that moment.”
Meanwhile in Ukraine, 27 people were killed and at least 120 were wounded in attacks on Tuesday, according to Internal Affairs minister Ihor Klymenko.
“In Zaporizhzhia alone, the Russians killed 12 civilians in a single airstrike. As a result of the evening strike on Dnipro, 4 people were killed and 16 were injured,” he said on Tuesday.
At least five people were killed and 37 wounded in a double-tap missile strike on a gas production facility in the Poltava region. Among those killed were two rescue workers who were responding to the initial strike, said Klymenko.
In total, Russia launched 11 ballistic missiles and 154 drones at Ukraine on Monday night and early Tuesday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Attacks targeted the regions of Poltava, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia.
A further six people were killed in a Russian attack on Kramatorsk, in the Donetsk region, on Tuesday evening, according to local authorities.
This story has been updated with additonal developments.
CNN’s Zahra Ullah and Victoria Butenko contributed to this report.
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