Russia declares Victory Day ceasefire in Ukraine, warns of retaliatory strikes

Russia paired its Victory Day ceasefire with a threat of a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv, turning the May 8-9 pause into a test of intent rather than a clear opening toward peace. The unilateral halt, announced by Russia’s Defense Ministry, comes as Moscow prepares to mark the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany and tries to project control even as the war continues to shape the holiday.

The Kremlin said it hoped Ukraine would “follow suit,” but the message was undercut by the warning that any attempt to disrupt the parade or commemorations would be met with retaliation. The truce was first proposed by Vladimir Putin during a phone call with Donald Trump, giving the move an international dimension as Moscow seeks to influence how its wartime posture is read abroad. The timing suggests the Kremlin is also trying to frame the ceasefire as a diplomatic gesture while keeping military pressure in reserve.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded by proposing a rival ceasefire starting at 12 a.m. on the night of May 5-6, saying Ukraine would act reciprocally from that moment. He dismissed Moscow’s request as “not serious,” a sharp indication that Kyiv sees the announcement less as a confidence-building step than as a staged political signal. For Ukraine and its Western allies, credibility will likely hinge on whether Russian forces actually stop firing, not on the wording of the announcement.

That skepticism is reinforced by the fighting still underway. On May 4, Russian strikes killed seven people in Merefa, outside Kharkiv, and two more in a separate attack in southern Ukraine, according to Kyiv. The ceasefire dispute also follows an Orthodox Easter truce in April 2026 that both sides accused the other of violating, leaving little trust that a holiday pause will hold without verifiable restraint on the ground.

The pressure surrounding Victory Day is visible in Moscow itself. Russia’s traditional parade on Red Square will take place without military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades, a decision the Defense Ministry linked to the operational situation and fears of Ukrainian drone attacks. That scaled-back display, along with tighter security, has become part of the political story of the day: even Russia’s most important secular holiday now carries the imprint of war, and Ukraine is unlikely to read the ceasefire as anything more than a short, conditional test.