Putin last week declared a three-day ceasefire over May 8-10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War Two. But the pause comes amid a backdrop of daily skirmishes, largely by drone warfare.

Russia hit eight Ukrainian settlements near a frontline 220 times during ceasefire, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region Ivan Fedorov said on the Telegram messaging platform early on Friday. The villages in Zaporizhzhia were hit by 150 drones and 70 artillery rounds in the past 24 hours,