Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in Moscow for 80th anniversary commemorations of the end of World War II, hours after Russia and Ukraine continued air strikes against each other’s capitals.

Russia launched four ballistic missiles and 142 drones targeting Kyiv and other regional centers overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday in a post on X. Two people were killed in the capital and seven injured, including children, he said.

The strikes also targeted other regions of Ukraine, including Dnipro, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, where more people were injured, according to local authorities.

Russian air defenses shot down 16 drones flying toward Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Russia’s Defense Ministry hasn’t commented on the scale of the attack, but the governor of the Bryansk region, bordering Ukraine, said more than 100 drones and one missile targeted the area.

The exchange of drone and missile attacks happened a day before a three-day ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin that’s due to start at midnight to mark the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union and its allies. Russia is welcoming leaders from close to 30 countries and territories for its annual May 9 military parade.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the only European Union leader planning to attend, complained that Estonia won’t allow his plane to fly through its airspace on the way to Russia. Fico in a video statement called it a “deliberate attempt to thwart his visit to Moscow,” but said he’s working on a solution.

Zelenskyy has said Ukraine can’t guarantee the safety of foreign officials during the anniversary parade in Moscow. He’s called on Russia to accept a 30-day truce, and hasn’t committed to reciprocate the 72-hour ceasefire announced by Putin.

Two of four Moscow airports, including the one that typically handles flights of government delegations, temporarily suspended operations early Wednesday morning, though normal service later resumed, aviation officials said.

Other airports in central Russia also reported disruption to flights.

Air defense around Moscow has been firing at drones over the last three days after a relative lull, as Ukraine attacked targets in other regions of Russia.

The Foreign Ministry in Kyiv on Tuesday called on other countries to refrain from sending military personnel to take part in the May 9 parade in Moscow. Russia has said military units from 13 countries, including China, are expected to march through Red Square during the event.

Putin and Xi will hold bilateral talks on May 8 including on the war in Ukraine, Russia-U.S. relations, and cooperation within the BRICS collective and the Group of 20, Ushakov said Tuesday, according to the Interfax news service. They’ll also brief reporters, he said.

“Only significantly intensified pressure on Russia and stronger sanctions can pave the way to diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said on Wednesday. “Russia must be held accountable for its actions.”

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(With assistance from Daniel Hornak and Henry Meyer.)

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