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Putin’s Ukraine truce begins amid doubt, skepticism
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By Francesca Hangeior
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for a three-day truce with Ukraine took effect Thursday, a move the Kremlin said would test Kyiv’s readiness for peace but that Ukraine has slammed as a farce.
It was not clear whether either side was observing the ceasefire, even with world leaders — including China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic — in Moscow for commemorations of the end of World War II.
It appeared relatively quiet overnight, though Ukraine’s military said early Thursday that Russian forces had launched air strikes in the eastern Sumy region. Kyiv did not report any damage or casualties.
Putin unilaterally ordered the temporary truce to coincide with Moscow’s Victory Day parade on Friday.
Ukraine never agreed to the proposal, has dismissed it as theatrics and called instead for a 30-day ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump has sought to end Moscow’s three-year military assault on Ukraine since his inauguration in January, but has failed to ease hostilities between the enemies.
Hours before Putin’s order was scheduled to enter force, Moscow and Kyiv staged aerial attacks, prompting airport closures in Russia and leaving at least two dead in Ukraine.
Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod airport in the west was closed for about one-and-a-half hours early Thursday “to ensure flight safety of civil aircraft”, according to a Federal Air Transport Agency spokesperson.
The Kremlin has said Russian forces will honour Putin’s order for the duration of the holiday period, but will respond “immediately” if attacked.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his call for a 30-day ceasefire in his evening address on Wednesday.
“We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance. But the world is not seeing any response from Russia,” he said.
Putin announced the truce last month, calling it a “humanitarian” gesture, after pressure from the United States to halt Russia’s assault on Ukraine.
Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire in March.
Ukraine has said it does not believe Russia will adhere to the truce and accused Moscow of hundreds of violations during a previous, 30-hour ceasefire Putin ordered for Easter.
Russia, which launched a full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in 2022, fired over 100 drones and multiple ballistic missiles at its neighbour between late Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, killing a mother and her son, Kyiv said.
The White House has become increasingly frustrated at the lack of progress towards a peace deal between the warring sides, despite Trump’s efforts.
US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday called on the two to enter direct talks.
Russia marks Victory Day with a grand parade of military equipment on Red Square and an address from Putin.
More than 20 world leaders were expected in Moscow for the May 9 parade.
A helicopter crash in Saudi Arabia killed 14 Saudi citizens on Sunday, the kingdom’s official press agency reported, adding that the aircraft belonged to state oil giant Aramco.
The Saudi Press Agency, citing an official at the energy ministry, reported the helicopter crashed in Ras Tanura in the country’s east.
“The accident claimed the lives of all 14 passengers, all Saudi citizens,” the agency said, adding that an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the crash.
Aramco says it operates more than 60 aircraft, including helicopters serving more than 300 heliports in Saudi Arabia, making it one of the largest corporate fleets in the region.
The deadly accident comes as oil-rich Gulf nations seek to ramp up their output following Iranian attacks and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the export of oil and gas.
The Gulf monarchy did not indicate the incident was in any way connected to a hostile attack.
During the Middle East war, Iranian attacks had targeted energy facilities in the Gulf.
Ras Tanura is home to one of the largest refineries in the Middle East, with a capacity of 550,000 barrels per day, and is critical to Saudi Arabia’s energy sector.
The refinery has been targeted several times, notably during an Iranian drone attack at the beginning of the conflict, which caused a fire and forced a partial shutdown.
Riyadh said in April that the weeks-long attacks had disrupted several production operations at key facilities, with refineries in Ras Tanura as well as Jubail, Yanbu and Riyadh targeted.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading crude exporter, produces a little over 10 million bpd.
AFP
An Improvised Explosive Device, IED, planted by alleged bandits along the Kurawa–Sabon Birni road in Sokoto State on Sunday hit a vehicle, killing one person and injuring many passengers.
The incident raised fresh concerns over the growing use of explosive devices by criminal groups operating in parts of the North-West.
The vehicle was said to be conveying passengers from surrounding communities to Sabon Birni when it ran over the explosive device, triggering a blast that severely damaged the vehicle and left several occupants injured.
A security analyst based in the area, Bashir Guyawa, disclosed the incident in a post on his Facebook page.
Guyawa described the incident as another reminder of the persistent security challenges confronting communities along the border axis.
He said the vehicle was on a routine passenger trip when the explosion occurred.
“The vehicle was conveying passengers early this morning on their way to Sabon Birni when the unfortunate incident happened,” he wrote.
Twelve people were injured in a clash between farmers from Larabar Gadan Sarki and herders from the communities of Majawa and Karade in Warawa Local Government Area of Kano State.
The chairman of Warawa Local Government, Lamido Sunusi Ahmad, disclosed this in a statement issued by his media aide, Musleem Garindau.
The statement said the council chairman visited the injured victims at Wudil General Hospital and directed that the local government should cover the cost of their treatment until they had fully recovered.
He also commended community leaders and security personnel for their swift intervention, noting that calm had been restored to the affected communities.
The chairman urged residents to refrain from spreading rumours or engaging in any act capable of escalating tensions and instead embrace dialogue to promote peaceful coexistence.
Speaking further, the Vice Chairman of Warawa Local Government, Hon. Ibrahim Abdu Madari, explained that the conflict involved residents of the communities, all of whom are indigenous to the area.
He said reports indicated that the violence began after a cow strayed into a farmer’s field and ate some crops. The farmer allegedly beat the cow, prompting its owner to assault the farmer, and the disagreement later escalated into a wider clash.
He also reiterated his appeal to residents to live peacefully and resolve disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding.
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