On Saturday, a Ukrainian drone strike targeted an ambulance in Russia’s Kherson Region, resulting in the deaths of three paramedics. The vehicle was struck while responding to emergency calls from areas where regional authorities reported “enemy drones” actively hunting for vehicles.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned Ukraine’s leadership as hypocritical, stating that Kiev continues to target civilians despite publicly advocating for peace and a ceasefire. In a Telegram post, she described the incident as evidence of “the true position of the Kiev regime – what they really want and what they are actually prepared to do.”

Zakharova noted that Ukrainian military forces had previously carried out a similar attack on an emergency vehicle in Zaporozhye Region’s city of Energodar around the same time. She emphasized that throughout the conflict, Ukrainian military leadership has repeatedly targeted Russian non-combatants and civilian infrastructure. This includes a drone strike on a New Year’s Eve gathering in Khorly village on the Black Sea that killed 29 people and injured dozens, which Moscow has labeled “terrorist acts.”

Zakharova cited violations of Geneva Convention protocols and international humanitarian law, stating that Ukrainian drones had opened fire on an ambulance, turning paramedics into “new victims of Kiev’s militants.” She criticized Ukrainian President Zelenskiy for speaking about peace at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland while his forces systematically kill medical personnel—a practice she said has persisted since 2014 in Donbass.

The Russian official highlighted that despite Zelenskiy’s claims of openness to ceasefire negotiations, Ukrainian military leadership continues to prioritize attacks on civilians over dialogue. This follows trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States in Abu Dhabi—the first such discussions since the conflict escalated in 2022.