Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Head of the Republic of Mordovia Artyom Zdunov on the Kremlin in Moscow, Monday, Might 4, 2026.
Mikhail Metzel/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
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Mikhail Metzel/Pool Sputnik Kremlin
Russia’s Protection Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World Warfare II, however it threatened to strike again at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt the Victory Day festivities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response mentioned his nation would observe a truce starting at 12 a.m. on Wednesday and reply in type to Russia’s actions from that second on. He didn’t put an finish date on the truce.
The bulletins on Monday come as Russia prepares to have fun its most necessary secular vacation with a conventional navy parade on Moscow’s Crimson Sq. pared down resulting from what officers say are issues over attainable Ukrainian assaults. Ukraine has been launching drone assaults deep inside Russia to counter its greater than 4-year-old invasion.
In addition they comply with a well-recognized sample of earlier makes an attempt to safe ceasefires — most not too long ago round Orthodox Easter — that had little to no influence.
The Protection Ministry mentioned if Ukraine makes an attempt to disrupt Saturday’s celebrations, Russia will perform a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.” It warned the civilian inhabitants there and workers of international diplomatic missions of “the need to leave the city promptly.”
Zelenskyy responded by saying that whereas Kyiv has not obtained any official requests for a truce, within the time left till midnight on Wednesday “it is realistic to ensure” {that a} ceasefire takes impact. He urged the Kremlin “to take real steps to end their war, especially since Russia’s Defense Ministry believes it cannot hold a parade in Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill.”
For years, the Kremlin has used the pomp-filled Victory Day parade to showcase its navy would possibly and international clout, and it has been a supply of patriotic delight.
However this yr, the parade within the Russian capital will happen with out tanks, missiles and different navy gear for the primary time in practically 20 years. Among the smaller parades which can be held elsewhere throughout the nation have additionally been pared down and even canceled for safety causes.
Talking at a summit with European leaders in Armenia on Monday, Zelenskyy mentioned that the Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square” on Might 9. “This is telling. It shows they are not strong now, so we must keep up the pressure through sanctions on them,” he mentioned.
World Warfare II stays a uncommon level of consensus in Russia’s divisive historical past beneath Communist rule. The Soviet Union misplaced 27 million folks in what it referred to as the Nice Patriotic Warfare in 1941-45, an infinite sacrifice that left a deep scar within the nationwide psyche.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has dominated Russia for over 25 years, has turned Victory Day right into a key pillar of his tenure and has tried to make use of it to justify the warfare in Ukraine.
Final yr’s parade on the eightieth anniversary drew probably the most international leaders to Moscow in a decade, together with high-profile company like Chinese language President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Fico will attend the parade this yr, as effectively.
Putin had declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire beginning Might 7, 2025, and authorities blocked cellphone web in Moscow for a number of days to avert Ukrainian drone assaults.
Final week, Putin floated the thought of a ceasefire for Victory Day this yr, too, in a telephone dialog with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Russian media reported Monday that the nation’s cellphone operators have begun to warn their clients of cellphone web restrictions in Moscow and St. Petersburg within the coming days.
