Ukrainian officials on Friday were warning about a potential offensive before Russia’s Victory Day on Monday.
The day marks the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, sparking worries the Russian military may increase attacks over the weekend.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned in a social media post Friday there is a “high probability” of rocket fire across Ukraine in the coming days. There were no plans for a curfew but street patrols would be reinforced, Klitschko added. Zaporizhzhia’s mayor said there would be a curfew through Tuesday afternoon there.
Officials from Ukraine’s national security council also warned about the potential for more shelling, urging residents not to ignore air raid sirens in a Facebook post from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine’s Center for Counteracting Disinformation.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would be open to negotiating with Russia only if its military retreated to its position from before its invasion.
Zelenskyy made the comment during a meeting Friday at London’s Chatham House think-tank. Ukrainian and Russian officials have previously held peace talks during the war, but negotiations have largely stalled in recent weeks.
If the Russian military returned to its position from Feb. 23, the day before the invasion began, “we will be able to start discussing things normally,” Zelenskyy said.
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