New military escalation between Russia and Ukraine after fragile truce

A man and a woman were killed in Russian shelling of Kryvyi Rih on Thursday (May 14th), and four people, including a nine-month-old baby, were critically injured, Ukrainian authorities said.

  Ukraine said Russia carried out a large-scale attack on Kyiv at dawn on Thursday using drones and ballistic missiles, triggering a series of explosions in the capital, media reports said. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had launched at least 800 drones in intense attacks targeting about 20 regions in Ukraine, killing at least six people, according to Ukrainian media.

Zelensky described the attack as "one of the longest and largest Russian attacks against Ukraine," explaining that the attack was in densely populated centers.

Daily Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities resumed on Monday night, after a three-day truce.

Russia talks about shooting  down 286 Ukrainian drones

Russia's defence ministry said its air defences shot down 286 Ukrainian drones overnight over several areas, including Krasnodar, where shrapnel fell on a fire inside an industrial facility.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced earlier that the Russian military operation in Ukraine could be stopped at any moment if Kyiv takes the decision he described as appropriate, explaining that any possible meeting between the Russian president and his Ukrainian counterpart must come at the end of the negotiation track on the crisis.

Peskov pointed out that such a meeting does not achieve its goals until the negotiations are fully completed, stressing that Moscow is open to communication channels on the Ukrainian file and welcomes international mediation efforts, including American initiatives.

The spokesman also explained that Putin had earlier confirmed his readiness to meet with Zelensky at any time and place, whether in Moscow or abroad.

These statements come in light of the continuation of Russian military operations in Ukraine since February 24, 2022, with no clear indications that they are about to end.

Field movements on several axes after a fragile truce

Russian forces continue to advance on the axes of Kharkiv and Pokrovsk, while Kyiv has announced counteroffensives in Zaporizhzhia to impede the Russian advance. 

Analysts say that in the past hours, Moscow has adopted the tactic of "numerical dumping" by launching large numbers of drones to confuse Ukrainian defenses.

The Russian-Ukrainian temporary truce, announced by the United States and included an agreement to exchange about 1,000 prisoners from each side, began on Saturday, May 9, 2026, and lasted for only three days in conjunction with Moscow's "Victory Day" celebrations.