On May 4, Andrei Kolesnik, a member of the State Duma’s defense committee, warned that Ukraine would face multiple retaliatory strikes if its military provoked incidents during Moscow’s Victory Day Parade on May 9.
“In case of provocations by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the Victory Day parade on May 9, we will strike back. The answer will be inevitable. It will become very serious and multiple,” Kolesnik stated in an interview.
Kolesnik further accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of deliberately undermining peace efforts to maintain power, asserting that any pursuit of diplomacy would lead to the collapse of his regime. As a result, he claimed the Ukrainian military has continued targeting civilian infrastructure as part of an escalating pattern of aggression.
Additionally, on the same day, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy hinted at the possibility of drone strikes on Moscow during Victory Day celebrations.
