Ceasefire expected to last until tomorrow: Russian drone hit skyscraper in Kharkiv, five people injured

(Patria) - A Russian drone hit a high-rise residential building in Ukraine's second-largest city, injuring at least five people, authorities said.

The attack further disrupted a three-day ceasefire introduced for Victory Day.

The attack on the building in Kharkiv occurred late on May 9, a few hours after the end of the annual Russian parade on Red Square.

The event, which was significantly more modest than in previous years, was held despite veiled threats from Ukraine of possible disruption to the parade and open threats from Moscow of retaliation against Kyiv.

The President of Ukraine, on the eve of the event, published an ironic message in which he stated that he "approves" of holding the parade in the Kremlin.

The governor of Kharkiv Oblast, Oleh Syniehubov, announced that five people were injured in the incident.

Ukrainian authorities announced that more than two dozen Russian drones were spotted over Ukraine during the night.

Russian officials, on the other hand, reported nearly 100 Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

Regional governor Alexander Khinshtein announced that there were no reported injuries.

In the Belgorod region, also bordering Ukraine, at least eight people were injured in Ukrainian drone attacks, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

The ceasefire is formally scheduled to expire on May 11.

Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov told reporters that there were no discussions about extending the ceasefire.

Also, according to Ushakov, there are no plans to continue the peace talks that the United States has been trying to initiate.

Speaking to reporters on May 9, President Vladimir Putin said he believes the war in Ukraine is nearing its end, and hinted that he wants to negotiate a new security arrangement for Europe.

Peace talks mediated by the United States, aimed at ending the full-scale war now entering its fifth year, have stalled partly due to Russia's firm demands, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from territories in the eastern Donbas region that they still control.