Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Moscow’s announcement on May 9 to take action on WWII comes as Kyiv expresses its “fear” of its enemy’s drones.
Russia and Ukraine have declared that they are fighting each other in their four-year-old war.
Russia announced on Monday that its suspension will be between May 8-9, when it celebrates Victory Day in World War II (as it calls World War II) with a large military parade in Moscow. Kyiv said later that it was calling for a ceasefire on May 5-6.
Recommended Articles
list of 4 itemsend of series
“In accordance with the decision of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been announced from May 8-9, 2026,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a post on the state-funded MAX program. “We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit.”
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said shortly after that he did not receive any information from Russia, and that Ukraine will observe a separate ceasefire from midnight on Tuesday, May 5.
“As of today, there has been no official request to Ukraine for the ceasefire that is being reported on Russian TV,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
“In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire from 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5-6. In the time that remains until that time, it is true to ensure that stability works,” he added.
The Ukrainian president also said that “a human life is more important than an annual ‘celebration’,” adding: “It’s time for the Russian leaders to take action to end their war.”
Warning to Kyiv; Moscow ‘fear’
Putin first announced the ceasefire last week, during a phone call with Donald Trump.
At the time, Ukraine said it would demand more from Washington, reiterating Ukraine’s support for a permanent ceasefire and peace building with the support of security guarantees.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said on Monday that the military will do everything necessary to ensure the safety of Victory Day. It added a warning to Ukraine to refrain from launching attacks during its announcement of a ceasefire.
“If the government of Kyiv tries to achieve its criminal goals of disrupting the celebration of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, heavy artillery strike in the center of Kyiv,” it said.
“We are warning Kyiv civilians and foreign workers to leave the city as soon as possible,” it added.
Russia says the ceasefire is a precautionary measure considering that Ukrainians may be ignored on the anniversary of the victory.
Zelenskyy said earlier on Monday, when he met with the leaders of the European Union, that Russia’s decision not to display military equipment at the demonstration was due to fear of Ukrainian drones and evidence of Moscow’s weakness.
“This summer will be the moment when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will decide what to do: escalate the war or go to negotiations. And we must force him to go to negotiations,” said Zelenskyy, speaking to leaders at the meeting of the European Political Community (EPC) in Yerevan.
“Russia has announced demonstrations on May 9 in Moscow without armed forces,” Zelenskyy said, referring to the decision of the Russian Defense Ministry.
“If this happens, it will be the first time in many years. They cannot afford to buy military equipment – and they are afraid that drones can be heard on Red Square. This is telling. It shows that they are not strong now,” said Zelenskyy.
Putin already he announced end of 32 hours of Orthodox Easter in April, Zelenskyy assures that Ukraine will respect. After fighting resumed, both sides accused each other of violations.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it has become Europe’s bloodiest war since World War II, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing millions.
