On the 4th, the Russian Ministry of Defense released a statement indicating that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, President Putin, has decided to implement a Victory Day ceasefire from May 8th to 9th to commemorate the Soviet people's victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that the Russian side has noted that Ukrainian leaders made statements at the European Political Community Summit, which included threats to attack the Russian capital Moscow on May 9th, Victory Day. The Russian military will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The Russian Ministry of Defense emphasized that if the Ukrainian side attempts to carry out criminal plans to disrupt the Victory Day celebrations, the Russian military will launch large-scale retaliatory strikes on the center of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The Russian side has the capability to do so, but out of humanitarian considerations, had previously avoided taking such actions.
May 9th, "Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War," is one of Russia's most important holidays. The Kremlin said at the end of April that the Red Square parade would still take place on May 9th, but with a reduced scale; for safety reasons, military equipment would not be displayed.
In April, Russia and Ukraine previously conducted a 32-hour Eastern Orthodox Easter ceasefire, but accused each other of violating the truce and launching attacks.
On the other hand, on the evening of the 4th, Ukrainian President Zelensky announced on social media that Ukraine has decided to unilaterally implement a ceasefire starting from midnight on the 6th.
Zelensky said that Russian social media networks claim that Russia will implement a ceasefire during the Victory Day celebrations, but Ukraine has not yet received any formal call from Russia to stop hostilities. Nevertheless, Ukraine has decided to implement "silence" from midnight on the 6th and will take "reciprocal" action from the designated time.
The post did not specify when Ukraine's ceasefire would end.
Zelensky stated that it is time for Russian leaders to take real steps to end the war.