A unilateral ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin began Thursday morning, as the Kremlin seeks a pause in hostilities ahead of Victory Day celebrations.
The three-day truce, announced by Moscow, followed a day of intense Russian airstrikes but brought a rare moment of calm to Ukrainian skies.
Putin unilaterally ordered the move to coincide with Friday’s Victory Day parade, a key annual event marked by a military display on Red Square and a presidential address.
Ukraine never agreed to the proposal and has dismissed it as a “game” designed to protect Putin’s parade rather than a genuine step towards peace.
It was not immediately clear whether either side was observing the ceasefire, even with world leaders – including China’s Xi Jinping, Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic – in Moscow for commemorations of the end of World War II.
The Kremlin was forced on Wednesday to say that it was taking “all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of foreign leaders due to attend its flagship 9 May parade after days of Ukrainian drone attacks closed airports across Russia, disrupting about 350 flights due to carry about 60,000 people on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Our military and special services are taking all necessary measures to ensure that the celebration of the great victory takes place in a calm, stable and peaceful atmosphere.”
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov
Peskov said that authorities were jamming the internet because of the drone threat. “As long as guests are here, until 10 May, we need to be ready for restrictions,” he added, calling on Muscovites to be understanding.
Ukraine’s own airspace has been closed ever since the Russian full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
The Kremlin has said that Russian forces will honour Putin’s order for the duration of the holiday but will respond “immediately” if Ukraine launches any fire.
Hours before Putin’s self-declared ceasefire was set to come into effect, Moscow unleashed a barrage of drone attacks across Ukraine.
Ukraine’s air force said Russian aircraft targeted the north-eastern Sumy region with guided air bombs after the ceasefire was supposed to begin.
Earlier, Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a Russian attack killed a mother and her son in Kyiv on Wednesday.
A Russian drone attack also wounded four people in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine’s national police said.
Zelenskyy appeared to acknowledge the drone attacks that have been targeting Russian sites, including the city of Moscow, disrupting the buildup to Victory Day. “It is absolutely fair that Russian skies, the skies of the aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way,” he said.
Ukraine Reiterates Demand For Longer Truce
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s President, has offered a 30-day ceasefire as suggested in US-brokered talks, but the Kremlin has refused.
Nonetheless, he reiterated Kyiv’s support for a US-backed 30-day ceasefire proposal. “We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday.
However, he said, the world is not seeing any response from Russia.
Putin announced the truce last month as a “humanitarian” gesture, following pressure from the United States to halt his three-year assault on Ukraine.
The Russian leader rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional ceasefire in March, and has since offered only slim contributions to Trump’s peace efforts.
US President Donald Trump has sought to end Moscow’s three-year military assault on Ukraine since his inauguration in January, but has failed to ease hostilities between the enemies.
Ukraine has said it does not believe Russia will adhere to this truce and accused Moscow of hundreds of violations during a previous, 30-hour ceasefire ordered by Putin for Easter.
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