President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday that Russia had decided to reject efforts to halt fighting and save lives by launching fresh attacks on Ukraine, which had called a unilateral ceasefire.

Russian air defenses shot down 347 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, in what appeared to be a major attack after Moscow spurned Kyiv’s ceasefire earlier in the week and tension mounted over safety at Russia's upcoming Victory Day celebrations.

Russian barrages of drones and missiles pounded Ukraine's central-eastern city of Dnipro for 20 hours straight, killing eight people and wounding dozens, local authorities said on Saturday.