Russia unilaterally declares Victory Day ceasefire while Zelenskyy tables own truce

Russia has declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine betwixt 8-9 May, erstwhile Moscow marks its yearly World War II Victory Day commemorations and threatened a "massive rocket strike" connected Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin archetypal projected the truce past week, during a telephone telephone with US counterpart Donald Trump.

"In accordance with a determination of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8–9 2026...We anticipation that the Ukrainian broadside volition travel suit," the Russian defence ministry said successful a station connected state-backed messaging app MAX.

"If the Kyiv authorities attempts to instrumentality its transgression plans to disrupt the solemnisation of the 81st day of Victory successful the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces volition motorboat a retaliatory, monolithic rocket onslaught connected the centre of Kyiv."

"We pass the civilian colonisation of Kyiv and employees of overseas diplomatic missions of the request to permission the metropolis promptly," it added.

In a station connected X connected Monday night, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his ain ceasefire, that would commencement earlier than the 1 outlined by Russia, which helium says has inactive not been officially communicated to Kyiv.

"We are announcing a ceasefire authorities starting astatine 00:00 connected the nighttime of May 5–6. In the clip near until that moment, it is realistic to guarantee that soundlessness takes effect. We volition enactment reciprocally starting from that moment. It is clip for Russian leaders to instrumentality existent steps to extremity their war, particularly since Russia’s Defence Ministry believes it cannot clasp a parade successful Moscow without Ukraine’s goodwill," helium wrote.

Russia's defence ministry said past week that determination would beryllium nary subject hardware astatine the yearly parade this twelvemonth due to the fact that of fears of long-range attacks by Ukrainian drones.

Monday strikes

Meanwhile, a Russian rocket onslaught killed 7 radical successful an eastbound Ukrainian municipality and a abstracted onslaught near 2 others dormant successful a confederate village, Kyiv said connected Monday.

A Russian ballistic rocket onslaught connected the municipality of Merefa, extracurricular Ukraine's 2nd metropolis of Kharkiv, killed 7 civilians and wounded dozens, determination authorities said.

Kharkiv determination politician Oleg Synegubov archetypal reported that 5 radical had been killed but aboriginal said that 2 men had died from their wounds successful hospital.

The different victims were 2 much men and 3 women, Synegubov said.

Synegubov said a two-year-old lad was among the wounded but that helium was not taken to hospital.

The onslaught targeted "civilian infrastructure successful a metropolis located rather acold from the beforehand line," helium added.

Russian forces person focused connected taking territory successful the Kharkiv region, from wherever they were pushed backmost by Ukrainian forces successful 2022.

Separately, the politician of the confederate Zaporizhzhia region, Ivan Fedorov, said a Russian onslaught killed 2 radical successful the colony of Vilnyansk.

"Unfortunately, a joined mates was killed: a 51-year-old antheral and a 62-year-old woman," Fedorov said.

He added that their 31-year-old lad was wounded successful the strike, on with 3 different people.

Vilnyansk lies adjacent to the determination superior of Zaporizhzhia, towards which Russian forces person been grinding.

In Russia, the politician of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian successful a borderline area.

Gladkov said the onslaught wounded 7 others, including a 10-year-old boy.

US-led talks connected ending the struggle person been sidelined by the Iran warfare and deadly attacks person spiked successful caller weeks.