Russia, Ukraine exchange drone attacks ahead of Xi's Moscow trip

Bloomberg News on May 7, 2025

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Russia and Ukraine continued air strikes against each other’s capitals overnight, including an attack that killed two people in Kyiv, as Moscow prepared to host the leaders of China, Brazil and other states to commemorate the end of World War II.

Russia launched four ballistic missiles and 142 drones targeting Kyiv and other regional centers, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday in a post on X. Two people were killed in the capital and seven injured, including children, he said.

The overnight strikes also targeted other regions of Ukraine, including Dnipro, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where more people were injured, according to local authorities.

Russian air defenses shot down nine drones flying toward Moscow, the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said. Russia’s defense ministry hasn’t commented on the scale of the attack, but the governor of the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, said more than 100 drones and one missile targeted the area.

The exchange of drone and missile attacks happened a day before a three-day ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin that’s due to start at midnight to mark the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Russia is welcoming leaders from 29 countries for its annual May 9 military parade marking the occasion.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine can’t guarantee the safety of foreign officials during the anniversary parade in Moscow. He has called on Russia to accept a 30-day truce, and has not committed to reciprocate the 72-hour ceasefire announced by Putin.

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a four-day visit to Moscow on Wednesday. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also due to arrive later the same day.

Two of four Moscow airports, including the one that typically handles flights of government delegations, temporarily suspended operations early Wednesday morning, though normal service has since resumed, aviation officials said.

Other airports in central Russia also reported disruption to flights.

Air defense around Moscow has been firing at drones over the last three days after a relative lull, as Ukraine attacked targets in other regions of Russia.

The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv on Tuesday called on other countries to refrain from sending military personnel to take part in the May 9 parade in Moscow. Russia has said military units from 13 countries, including China, are expected to march through Red Square during the parade.

Putin and Xi will hold bilateral talks on May 8 including on the war in Ukraine, Russia-U.S. relations, and cooperation within the BRICS collective and the Group of 20, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said Tuesday, according to the Interfax news service. They’ll also brief reporters, he said.

“Only significantly intensified pressure on Russia and stronger sanctions can pave the way to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. “Russia must be held accountable for its actions.”