There are nights when history seems to hesitate, as though the world is about to inhale and hold its breath. In Ukraine, the hours before a declared ceasefire carried that fragile feeling. Yet before the promise of stillness could settle over the country, explosions once again interrupted the dark.

Ukrainian officials said Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least 22 people and wounded more than 80 others on Tuesday, only hours before Kyiv was due to begin a temporary ceasefire. The attacks struck several regions, turning what might have been a diplomatic pause into another day of emergency sirens and rescue work.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sharply criticized Moscow’s actions, describing the attacks as evidence of what he called Russia’s “utter cynicism.” His remarks came as Russian authorities had already announced their own brief halt in fighting later in the week, timed around Victory Day commemorations. The contrast between official declarations and battlefield reality became central to Kyiv’s response.

According to Ukrainian authorities, the deadliest strikes hit eastern and southern urban centers. In Kramatorsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv, glide bombs and aerial attacks struck civilian areas. Emergency workers searched through damaged buildings while local officials reported homes, transport links, and public infrastructure affected.

The attacks also extended to energy-related targets. Ukrainian officials said facilities connected to oil and gas production in regions including Poltava and Kharkiv were among those hit. Kyiv has repeatedly argued that attacks on energy systems deepen civilian hardship far beyond the immediate battlefield.

For Ukraine, the ceasefire proposal had been presented as a brief opening—limited, cautious, and far from a political settlement. But officials in Kyiv argued that military activity in the hours before the truce weakened trust further. In wartime diplomacy, timing often speaks almost as loudly as official language.

The Kremlin has previously announced short unilateral pauses tied to holidays or symbolic dates. Ukrainian officials have consistently expressed skepticism, arguing that temporary pauses without broader guarantees have rarely altered the larger military trajectory. Tuesday’s casualties reinforced that skepticism.

As midnight approached, rescue crews were still at work. Smoke rose over neighborhoods where people had expected, if only briefly, a quieter horizon. The ceasefire technically arrived, but it did so after another day in which the cost had already been counted.

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Sources: Reuters, Associated Press, PBS News, Kyiv Post, Los Angeles Times