Published On 4/5/2026
Today, Monday, Russia and Ukraine announced a ceasefire, coinciding with Moscow’s commemoration of “Victory Day” in World War II.
In a statement on the state-backed Max app, the Russian Defense Ministry said: “By decision of the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces, (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire was declared from May 8 to 9, 2026 in honor of the 81st anniversary of the Soviet people’s victory in the Great Patriotic War.”
“We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,” the statement said. In a warning tone, the statement said that the Russian Armed Forces “will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the celebrations and if The Kiev regime attempted to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, and the Russian armed forces will launch a large-scale retaliatory missile attack on central Kiev.”
The statement added that “Russia, despite its capabilities, had previously refrained from such actions for humanitarian reasons.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev will adhere to a ceasefire starting at midnight on May 5.
Zelensky wrote – on the Telegram application – that Russia did not respond to Kiev’s calls for a ceasefire, and that Ukraine would go ahead with it because it believes that “human life is much more precious than ‘celebrating’ any anniversary.”
Zelensky did not set a time frame for the ceasefire, but he said that Ukraine “will act in a consistent and consistent manner from the appointed moment.”
Earlier, Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov said that on May 9, President Vladimir Putin will hold international contacts with foreign leaders who will arrive in Moscow to participate in the “Victory Day” celebrations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on March 24 that Moscow would be happy to see the leaders of friendly countries at the Victory Day parade on May 9.
On May 9 of each year, the Russian capital, Moscow, witnesses a solemn military parade in Red Square, on the occasion of the anniversary of the victory over Nazism in the Great Patriotic War, in the presence of a large number of leaders and commanders from all over the world.
