Russia has suspended combat operations in Ukraine in order to observe the annual Victory Day celebrations.
On Friday May 9 Russia will celebrare the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, or the Eastern Front during WWII where the former Soviet Union fought against Nazi Germany.
In late April, President Vladimir Putin declared the Victory Day ceasefire . It came into effect from 00:00 Moscow time (9:00 p/m/ GMT) on May 8 and will last for 72 hours, until 00:00 Moscow time (9:00 p.m. GMT) on May 11.
However, Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky has publicly turned down this initiative.
Dmitry Peskov, Russian presidential press secretary told journalists that Russia’s position on the May ceasefire is well-known and there have been no new instructions on this matter.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian troops staged a large-scale drone attack on Russian cities in the early hours on Wednesday.
Russian air defense forces repelled this attack. Nine drones were shot down near Moscow, the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, said.
This is the third ceasefire during the special military operation. The first one was declared on Christmas in 2023. It lasted from 12:00 Moscow time (9:00 a.m. GMT) on January 6 till 24:00 Moscow time (9:00 p.m. GMT) on January 7. It was not observed by Kiev.
The second ceasefire was declared on Easter in 2025. It came into force from 6:00 p.m. Moscow time (3:00 p.m. GMT) on April 19 and ended at midnight on April 21. The ceasefire was violated by the Ukrainian side.