Russia offers Ukraine May 8-9 WWII anniversary ceasefire

Deutsche Welle·May 4

Russia offers Ukraine May 8-9 WWII anniversary ceasefire

President Vladimir Putin on Monday declared a two-day ceasefire in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, to come into effect on May 8 and May 9, marking the anniversary of Nazi Germany's capitulation and the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. Russia's Defense Ministry announced the unilateral offer, and also said it counted on the Ukrainian side to follow suit. Should Ukraine decline and attack the May 9 commemorations in Moscow later in the week, the Defense Ministry said, Russia would launch a "massive missile attack" on "the center" of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in response. "Despite the capabilities at our disposal, Russia has previously refrained from such actions on humanitarian grounds," the ministry said in a statement. "We are warning the civilian population of Kyiv and staff at foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city in a timely manner," it said. What is the shared significance of May 8 and 9 to Russia and Ukraine? Nazi Germany formally capitulated at 11:01 p.m. Berlin time on May 8, 1945, marking the end of World War II in Europe. The time was specifically chosen to grant a separate day to the former Soviet Union to celebrate what

ABC News·May 4

Russia declares a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Victory Day

Russia's Defense Ministry has declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Victory Day, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War IIByThe Associated PressMay 4, 2026, 2:52 PMRussia's Defense Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but it threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt the Victory Day festivities.The Defense Ministry said in a statement Monday that it hoped Ukraine “will follow suit” on the ceasefire for Russia’s most important secular holiday. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.Authorities last week decided to pare down the traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square, citing concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion.The Defense Ministry said if Ukraine attempts to disrupt Saturday's celebrations, Russia will carry out a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.” It warned the civilian population there and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of "the need to leave the city promptly.”Russian President Vladimir Putin last week floated the idea of a ceasefire for Victory Day in a

The Washington Times·May 4

Russia declares a truce in Ukraine to mark Victory Day. Kyiv says it'll cease fire two days earlier

Russia’s Defense Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but it threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt the Victory Day festivities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in response said his country would observe a truce beginning at 12 a.m. on Wednesday and respond in kind to Russia’s actions from that moment on. He did not put an end date on the truce. The announcements on Monday come as Russia prepares to celebrate its most important secular holiday with a traditional military parade on Moscow’s Red Square pared down due to what officials say are concerns over possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been launching drone attacks deep inside Russia to counter its more than 4-year-old invasion. They also follow a familiar pattern of previous attempts to secure ceasefires - most recently around Orthodox Easter - that had little to no impact. The Defense Ministry said if Ukraine attempts to disrupt Saturday’s celebrations, Russia will carry out a “massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv.” It warned the civilian population there and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of

NBC News·May 4

Putin announces 2-day ceasefire in Ukraine

Russian ⁠President ​Vladimir Putin on Monday announced a two-day ⁠ceasefire in ‌the ‌war with Ukraine to observe the anniversary ⁠of the ‌defeat ⁠of Nazi Germany in World War ‌II.The ceasefire would run Friday and Saturday, according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.While temporary ceasefires are not unheard of in the conflict, which started when Russia launched a large-scale invasion of the country in 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not immediately confirm they would abide by one. 00:23Russian drone shot down over eastern Ukraine00:0000:00Speaking in Yerevan, Armenia, he said that while United States and Russian officials had spoken about a ceasefire, the idea had not been officially proposed to Ukrainian officials. "This is Russia’s war against Ukraine. If America and Russia are negotiating, it is important that our side knows what they are talking about," Zelenskyy said. A statement attributed to the Russian Defense Ministry threatened Ukraine and foreign diplomats if the ceasefire wasn’t respected by Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of violating previous ceasefires. The general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces said that Russia broke an Easter ceasefire with shelling last month, and the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of doing the same. The

CBS News·May 4

Russia and Ukraine declare separate ceasefires ahead of WWII anniversary

May 4, 2026 / 4:00 PM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a "massive missile strike" on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced his own ceasefire, saying in a statement posted on X that he has not received an official appeal from Russia about its truce."We believe that human life is far more valuable than any anniversary "celebration". In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 on the night of May 5-6," Zelenskyy said. "In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect. We will act reciprocally starting from that moment."Russian President Vladimir Putin first proposed the short-term truce last week, during a phone call with President Trump."In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8-9, 2026 ... We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit," the Russian defense ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging app MAX."If the Kyiv regime attempts