内容摘要：The Institute for the Study of War said Putin likely wants to avoid the embarrassment of Ukrainian strikes on Victory Day, when foreign dignitaries will be visiting Moscow to mark the day.

The Institute for the Study of War said Putin likely wants to avoid the embarrassment of Ukrainian strikes on Victory Day, when foreign dignitaries will be visiting Moscow to mark the day.

An Associated Press tally based on reports from Ukrainian authorities found at least 117 civilians have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded in Russian aerial attacks since Ukraine announced on March 11 its willingness for a ceasefire — all of them attacks involving long-range drones and a variety of missiles.The tally does not include casualties caused by short-range weapons, including mortars, multiple launch rocket systems, S-300 and S-400 ballistic missiles, drone-dropped explosives and aerial glide bombs, which Russia continues to use along the front line and nearby areas.

Ukrainian officials do not provide overall casualty figures nor do they release official figures on how many Ukrainian troops have been killed on the battlefield.Among the deadliest attacks recently was a Russian ballistic missile that struck in the packed center of Sumy in northeast Ukraine on a busy Palm Sunday morning in mid-April. At least 35 people, including two children, were killed and around 120 wounded. Another blasted a playground in Zelenskyy’s hometown, killing 20 people including nine children.A deadly barrage targeting the capital Kyiv prompted rare criticism from President Donald Trump for the Russian leader.

“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.In the past two months, Putin has twice unilaterally declared a brief ceasefire, one for Easter and the other to mark

Ukraine, meanwhile, has continued to launch droves of drones at Russian regions. This week, Russia’s Victory Day festivities were overshadowed by reports of

and triggering severe disruptions at the capital’s airports, as well as cellphone internet outages amid jamming aimed at foiling more potential attacks.“It doesn’t mean anything,” said Oleksandr Merezkho, a lawmaker with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party. “We will never recognize Crimea as part of Russia.”

Unlike a territorial concession, a formal surrender would permanently relinquish Crimea and abandon the hope that Ukraine could regain it in the future.The Ukrainian public largely understands that land must be ceded as part of any armistice because there is no way to retake it militarily. Polls indicate a rising percentage of the population accepts such a trade-off.

But much of the public messaging about land concessions has suggested that they are not necessarily permanent, as when Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko told the BBC recently that Ukraine may need to temporarily give up land as part of a peace deal.Saying otherwise would effectively admit defeat — a deeply unpopular move, especially for Ukrainians living under Russian occupation who hope to be liberated and reunited with their families one day. It also would call into question the sacrifices made by tens of thousands of Ukrainian service members who have been killed or wounded.