The Daily Populous Tuesday May 6th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by cnn.com and submitted by Utterly-perplexed

Ukrainian drones attacked Moscow for the second consecutive night, temporarily halting flights at four airports in the Russian capital and nine further afield – as it prepares to host a major military parade expected to be attended by world leaders including China’s Xi Jinping.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a Telegram post Tuesday that at least 19 Ukrainian drones were destroyed on their approach to the capital overnight, one night after Russian air defenses shot down four drones near the city.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties, but debris from downed drones fell on a major highway, Sobyanin said. Flights were temporarily suspended as a safety precaution at four of the capital’s airports, according to Russian aviation authorities. Flights at some of the affected airports, in and outside the capital, have since resumed.

The devices launched at Moscow were among 105 Ukrainian drones intercepted across Russia overnight, Russia’s defense ministry said on Telegram Tuesday.

The latest Ukrainian attack on the Russian capital comes ahead of Xi’s expected arrival in Moscow on Wednesday for a three-day state visit, in which the Chinese leader will take part in Friday’s May 9 Victory Day celebrations, according to a Kremlin statement Sunday.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vietnam’s President To Lam and Belarussian leader Aleksandr Lukashenko are among 29 leaders expected to attend, according to Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. North Korea will send an ambassador to Moscow – and India, Nicaragua and South Africa will be represented by high-level delegations, he said.

Victory Day is the most significant day in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s calendar, as he has long used it to rally public support and demonstrate the country’s military prowess.

Thousands of people are expected to line the streets of Moscow’s Red Square on Friday in an exhibition of patriotism marking the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany and commemorating the more than 25 million Soviet soldiers and civilians who died during World War II.

Russian servicemen march on the Red Square ahead of the Victory Day parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

Kyiv called on international allies not to send troops to Russia’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow, warning that participation would amount to “sharing responsibility for the blood of Ukrainian children, civilians, and military personnel.”

“The participation of foreign military personnel in this event is unacceptable and will be regarded by Ukraine as a desecration of the memory of the victory over Nazism,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

Troops from 13 countries are set to take part in the parade, Russia’s presidential aid said. The parade will involve marching units from Azerbaijan, Vietnam, China, and Egypt among others, Ushakov said, according to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

Russian tanks drive along a Moscow street on the day of a rehearsal for a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany on Saturday. Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Russian authorities have already pulled scheduled celebrations in parts of the country – just hours after the Ukrainian salvo overnight. In the south, there will be no Victory Parade in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, or in the city of Krasnador, according to local governors.

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-backed head of Sevastopol, announced commemorations were canceled “for security reasons,” in a decision mandated by Russia’s defense ministry. Similarly, Kuban Veniamin Kondratyev, the head of Krasnador, warned such celebrations posed “a big risk.”

“An air threat is announced almost every night. Of course, we cannot risk the residents of Krasnodar, those who come to the parade, the participants in the parade,” said Kondratyev.

Putin last month declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine to coincide with the May 9 celebrations based on what he called “humanitarian considerations,” prompting skepticism in Kyiv.

Following the attacks on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, accused Kyiv of “continuing the war,” insisting that the Easter truce “is still relevant.” But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly criticized the three-day ceasefire, saying he was only ready to sign up for a longer truce of at least 30 days.

Since April 29, when Putin called for the Victory Day truce, the Ukrainian army has accused Moscow of launching around 1,856 attacks along the expansive front lines. In that time, Russian attacks have killed at least 46 civilians and injured another 337 in Ukraine, according to a CNN tally of figures from local authorities and emergency services.

A Russian missile strike on the outskirts of Sumy in central Ukraine on Tuesday killed three people, including a six-year-old boy, Sumy’s regional military administration said. Eight people were being treated in medical facilities, two of whom were in “extremely serious condition,” the authorities added.

Meanwhile, the White House renewed calls for a “permanent ceasefire” as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a deal to end the war. But those negotiations have largely stalled.

In a message to dignitaries traveling to Russia for the Victory Day celebrations, the Ukrainian leader warned that Kyiv “cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation,” due to the ongoing conflict.

Kyiv won’t be “playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin’s exit from isolation on 9 May,” Zelensky said in his nightly address on Saturday.

In response, Russia’s foreign ministry said his comments amounted to a threat.

Zelensky has demanded answers from China in recent weeks, after he revealed that two Chinese fighters had been captured by Ukraine in early April and claimed there were “many more” in Russia’s ranks.

Beijing denied any involvement and repeated previous calls for Chinese citizens to “refrain from participating in military actions of any party.”

Kyiv has increasingly turned to drones to level the playing field with Russia, which boasts superior manpower and resources. On Saturday, Ukraine claimed it shot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea using a seaborne drone for the first time.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official told CNN the country’s military retains a presence inside Russia’s Kursk, days after Moscow said it had completely recaptured the western region following a months-long incursion by Kyiv’s forces.

This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Anna Chernova, Victoria Butenko, Kosta Gak, Sophie Tanno, Darya Tarasova, Daria Tarasova-Markina, Edward Upright, Sana Noor Haq and Eve Brennan contributed reporting.

icematt12 on May 6th, 2025 at 08:29 UTC »

Has anyone seen my violin? It's so small that I think I've lost it.

NovelDry3871 on May 6th, 2025 at 08:09 UTC »

Fuck em up, boys!

ftrlvb on May 6th, 2025 at 07:59 UTC »

the whole world will watch this military parade and hope they also showcase some drones

lol