Komsomolskaya Pravda war correspondent Alexander Kots sharply criticized Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s latest proposal for a ceasefire, calling it an example of double standards. His reaction came after Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said Kyiv was proposing several ceasefire options covering the air domain, energy infrastructure, and the frontline, followed by negotiations between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kots pointed out that the proposal was made on the same day a drone strike hit a beach in Arkhipo-Osipovka near Gelendzhik. According to the latest reports, seven people, including three children, were killed and another 47 were injured.

The war correspondent recalled that in June Zelenskyy had spoken about increasing pressure on Russia and promised further escalation. In Kots' view, the change in rhetoric is linked to Russian military actions in July, which he believes significantly complicated the situation in Ukraine’s rear areas.

Among the examples he cited were systematic strikes on port infrastructure that disrupted maritime logistics, the destruction of petrol stations along the Kharkiv-Dnipropetrovsk highway, attacks on railway hubs, and the destruction of the bridge in Zatoka near Odesa, through which supplies from Romania were transported. Kots argued that these actions had seriously disrupted Ukrainian logistics and would eventually affect both the country’s economy and the situation on the battlefield.

The journalist also questioned the possibility of holding negotiations after attacks on civilians. He noted that the ceasefire proposal came only hours after the drone strike on the beach near Gelendzhik, where seven people, including three children, were killed.

To support his position, Kots recalled events in May. At that time, Zelenskyy had called for a ceasefire, after which Ukrainian forces struck a college in Starobilsk, killing 21 teenagers.