Russia's Defense Ministry has declared a unilateral ceasefire for May 8-9 to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. While hoping Ukraine will follow suit for the Victory Day holiday, Russia threatened to carry out a massive missile strike on the center of Kyiv if celebrations are disrupted. The ministry warned the civilian population and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced that Ukraine would observe its own ceasefire, described as a regime of silence, starting at midnight on Tuesday, May 5 and continuing through May 6. Zelenskiy stated that human life is more valuable than the celebration of any anniversary and noted that Russia had not responded to Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire. He added that Ukraine would act symmetrically from the specified moment.
Due to concerns over potential Ukrainian drone attacks, the traditional military parade on Moscow's Red Square will be pared down. For the first time in nearly two decades, the parade will take place without tanks, missiles, or other military equipment. Some smaller parades held across the country have also been pared down or canceled for security reasons.
President Vladimir Putin, who previously floated the idea of a ceasefire in a phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, has made Victory Day a key pillar of his tenure. The holiday commemorates the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, in which the Soviet Union lost 27 million people, a sacrifice that remains a significant point of consensus and patriotic pride in Russia.