Russian servicemen await the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade, to be held at Red Square, in central Moscow, May 4, 2026. IGOR IVANKO / AFP
Russia on Monday, May 4, 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. Ukraine responded by declaring its own truce from May 6, saying it was "not serious" to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday.
The quarreling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to the conflict in the Middle East.
Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighborhood overnight. "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 service MAX.
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