Russia’s Defence Ministry has announced a ceasefire from midnight on May 8 until May 10 in connection with the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory Day. According to the ministry, during this period Russian forces will completely halt combat operations, including missile and artillery strikes, as well as drone attacks on targets in Ukraine.
“We call on the Ukrainian side to follow this example,” the press release said.
At the same time, Russia’s Defence Ministry threatened a massive missile strike on central Kyiv.
If the Ukrainian side attempts to disrupt the May 9 celebrations in Moscow, the ministry said it would carry out a large-scale missile strike on the centre of Kyiv and urged civilians and staff of foreign diplomatic missions to leave the city in advance.
Earlier, Russia’s Defence Ministry unilaterally declared a ceasefire for May 8–9 and warned of a strike on Kyiv in case of disruption to the May 9 celebrations. Ukraine declared a ceasefire starting May 6 and said it would respond in kind. Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia has been violating Ukraine’s declared ceasefire for a second consecutive day, pledging a mirror response.
