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Kuala Lumpur – Russia has unexpectedly announced a temporary ceasefire with Ukraine that will take effect on May 8 and 9. The halt in attacks coincides with Russia’s Victory Day celebrations marking the end of World War II, a major national holiday.
The Russian Defense Ministry stated that President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian forces to stop all attacks during this period. The statement expressed hope that Ukraine would also observe the ceasefire.
“In accordance with the decision of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been announced for May 8-9, 2026. We hope the Ukrainian side will follow this decision,” the ministry said, as reported by AFP.
Strong Warning of Retaliation
Despite announcing the ceasefire, Russia issued a stern warning. If Ukraine attempts to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow’s Red Square, Russia threatened to launch massive retaliatory missile strikes on Kyiv. Moscow also urged civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to immediately leave the Ukrainian capital.
Ukraine’s Response
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that as of Monday (May 4), Ukraine had not received any official information from Russia regarding the announced ceasefire. In response, Zelensky instead declared Ukraine’s own unilateral ceasefire for May 5-6.
“Until today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modalities of halting hostilities as claimed on Russian social media,” Zelensky posted on X.
Background
The ceasefire proposal was first raised by Putin during a phone call with US President Donald Trump last week. Ukraine had said it would seek further details through the United States.
Victory Day in Russia is traditionally marked with a grand military parade in Red Square, Moscow. This year’s event is expected to be held under extremely tight security.
The situation on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield remains tense, and many observers are skeptical about how long this temporary ceasefire will last, given the frequent violations of similar truces in the past.
