Ukraine president says ‘Red Square shall be excluded’ from any attacks, while Kyiv, Moscow and Trump proclaim three-day ceasefire. What we know on day 1,536
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has issued a decree “allowing” Russia’s Victory Day military parade to proceed and ensuring no weapons are aimed at Red Square. It came after Ukraine and Russia confirmed a ceasefire would take effect from 9 to 11 May. In what may have been a partly tongue-in-cheek announcement, Zelenskyy’s proclamation said: “I hereby decree: to permit the holding of a parade in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation) on May 9, 2026.”
The decree continued that “the territorial sector of Red Square shall be excluded” from the planned deployment of Ukrainian weaponry. Ukraine’s president had needled the Kremlin over the past week for wanting a “permit” from Kyiv to hold its Victory Day parade in Moscow, as the Russians clamoured for a ceasefire and warned of reprisals against Kyiv if the somewhat demilitarised anniversary display – expected to lack tanks, missiles and other military equipment – came under attack. Zelenskyy said on Monday that the Russian authorities “fear drones may buzz over Red Square”.
A large forest fire was burning through the Chornobyl exclusion zone on Friday after a drone crash near the defunct nuclear plant the previous day, Ukrainian authorities said. Radiation levels at the site were within “normal limits”, authorities reported, adding that firefighters were working to contain the blaze. The fire broke out on Thursday “as a result of a drone crash”, it said. It did not say the origin of the drone. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Moscow of recklessly attacking its nuclear sites, including the Chornobyl complex. In 2025 a Russian drone punctured a hole and started a fire causing extensive damage to one of the radiation shells covering the destroyed reactor unit. The exclusion zone suffered wildfires in 2020, which lasted several weeks and caused a spike in background radiation.
