Top Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik said that six Russian civilians were killed and 23 others wounded in Ukrainian attacks during the 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire. Ukraine’s attacks also intensified leading up to the ceasefire agreement.

Miroshnik, who is the Russian Foreign Ministry’s ambassador-at-large who is tasked with documenting Kiev’s alleged war crimes, told TASS on Monday that ahead of the start of the truce “the Ukrainian Nazis not only failed to reduce the intensity of attacks on civilian targets, but increased the number of such strikes by almost a quarter,” compared to previous days.

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a unilateral truce from May 7-8 to May 10-11 to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and to encourage unconditional peace talks with Kiev. However, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky declined to support the ceasefire, dismissing it as a Russian ploy and an “attempt at manipulation.”

According to the diplomat, the “most flagrant” attacks took place in Kursk Region bordering Ukraine. In one of the incidents, a man lost his life as a result of a strike by a US-supplied HIMARS multiple rocket launcher on the village of Zvannoye, and in another a woman was killed after an aerial bomb was dropped on the village of Glushkovo, he said. –RT

So, instead of honoring an attempt at a pause in the fighting, Kiev has increased its attacks on border regions. During the ceasefire, Ukrainian forces targeted “residential buildings, medical transport, civilian vehicles and commercial facilities,” he said.

This is not the first time Ukraine has been accused of violating ceasefire agreements.

Russia: Ukraine Violated The Easter Ceasefire Over 1,300 Times

Miroshnik said that the intensification of attacks by Kiev over the past seven days was an attempt “to intimidate the civilian population” of Russia. Moscow has claimed that Ukraine’s drones have repeatedly targeted civilians during the ongoing conflict.

Russia Alleges Ukrainian Drones Have Targeted Civilians