Russia has declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine between May 8 and May 9 to coincide with commemorations marking victory over Nazi Germany. The shock statement comes after Vladimir Putin was left humiliated after being forced to scale back Russia’s annual Victory Day parade due to fears of Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine marks the anniversary on May 8 — like the UK — while Russian commemorations are held a day later. The Soviet Union, which was made up of nations including both Russia and Ukraine, suffered 27 million loses during the Second World War. Russia’s defence ministry said the ceasefire required agreement from Ukraine.
The Ukrainians have yet to comment but Russia warned it would launch a major retaliatory missile strike on the centre of Kyiv if it interrupred its Victory Day commemorations.
“Despite the capabilities at our disposal, Russia has previously refrained from such actions on humanitarian grounds,” part of the statement from Russia’s defence ministry said, according to the Reuters news agency.
The Kremlin last week said no tanks, missiles or other military equipment would be displayed in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, citing the “current operational situation”.
Victory Day is Russia’s most important non-religious holiday.
The Kremlin typically uses the parade through Moscow to flex its military muscles to the world, showing off weapons including tanks, artillery and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The scaling back has been viewed as a clear sign of Russia’s fears of the threat posed by Ukrainian strikes.
Ukraine has ramped up assaults on targets deep inside Russia in recent months, with Moscow coming under a series of drone attacks.
On Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky suggest Ukraine could use drones to target the event which is a source of patriotic pride within Russian.
The Ukrainian President said: “Russia has announced a parade on May 9, but there will be no military equipment at this parade.
“This will be the first time in many, many years that they cannot afford the presence of weapons at the parade.”
“And Ukrainian drones can also strike this parade,” he added. “This shows that they are no longer as strong as before.”
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