1,348 political violence events
2% decrease compared to last week
110 incidents of violence targeting civilians
4% increase compared to last week
At least 36 fatalities from civilian targeting
12% decrease compared to last week
Key trends
- In the Donetsk region, Russian forces advanced south and southwest of Kostiantynivka, southwest of Pokrovsk, and north and northeast of Lyman, in addition to occupying a village west of Velyka Novosilka.
- Russian forces made gains in the area of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region and claimed to have advanced near the international border northeast of Sumy city.
- ACLED records at least 30 Russian long-range missile and drone strikes, including in Kyiv city and the Kyiv region, as well as the central regions of Cherkasy, Poltava, and Kirovohrad.
- Russian shelling, missiles, aerial bombs, and drones killed at least 32 civilians in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Sumy, and Zaporizhia regions and in Kyiv city. Ukrainian shelling reportedly killed one civilian in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region.
Key events
- 3 May | Donetsk – Russian forces execute three Ukrainian prisoners of war near Novopil
- 6 May | Sumy – Russian missiles strike Velyka Chernechchyna near Sumy city, killing three civilians
- 7 May | Kyiv city – Russian drones and missiles kill two civilians and wound eight others
Spotlight: Moscow faces Ukrainian drones and ceasefire counter-proposals
Ukrainian drone barrages disrupted air traffic in and around Moscow ahead of 9 May commemorations of the 80th anniversary of Soviet and Allies’ victory in World War II, which included a military parade on the Red Square. Hundreds of Ukrainian drones attempted to break through Russia’s air defences in the European part of the country between 6 and 8 May, with Moscow appearing to be the primary target. Russian forces largely fended off strike attempts, claiming to have intercepted over 500 drones in the 24 hours between 6 and 7 May alone.1Reuters, “Russian air defences down 12 more Ukrainian drones en route to Moscow, mayor says,” 7 May 2025 ACLED data show drone intercepts over at least 20 regions on 6 and 7 May, compared with a weekly average of 13 regions since the beginning of the year.
Five strike attempts were reported over Moscow and the surrounding eponymous region, including a direct hit on a military airfield and another event in which a residential building was damaged by falling debris. Additionally, a Russian air defense missile involved in an interception damaged a residential building in a Moscow suburb. The strike attempts led to the closures of airports across Russia, including all around Moscow, delaying the arrival of foreign leaders attending the 9 May parade.2Jessica Rawnsley and Jaroslav Lukiv, “Russia says 60,000 air passengers stranded after Ukrainian drone attacks,” BBC, 7 May 2025 To complicate the navigation of drones ahead of and on 9 May, Russian authorities resorted to the near-complete shutdown of cellular networks in Moscow and elsewhere in the country.3Meduza, “Ahead of Moscow’s Victory Day parade, Internet is cut, shops close, and services stall as authorities scramble to prevent drone attacks,” 9 May 2025
Earlier, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin announced a second unilateral ceasefire between 8 and 11 May, likely aiming to force Ukraine to mirror the move to improve the odds of the parade passing without incident. Unlike in the case of the Easter ceasefire, Ukraine refused to reciprocate and demanded a month-long truce.4Hanna Arhirova and Elise Morton, “Russia and Ukraine clash over ceasefire proposals as fighting rages,” The Associated Press, 3 May 2025 In response, Putin proposed unconditional talks on 15 May in Turkey. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed and challenged Putin to a personal meeting.5Max Hunder and Yuliia Dysa, “Ukraine’s Zelenskiy insists on face-to-face talks with Putin in Istanbul,” Reuters, 13 May 2025
Explore the ACLED Conflict Exposure tool to assess the numbers of people affected by armed violence, disaggregated by locations, time period, and actors involved.
