When Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire for May 8-9 to protect his Victory Day parade – and threatened a “massive missile strike on Kyiv” if Ukraine dared disrupt it, Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t blink.
Ukraine’s response was swift and surgical: Kyiv declared its own ceasefire, starting midnight May
5 – three days earlier than Russia’s – with no end date attached. “We will act reciprocally from that moment,” Zelensky said.
The move put Putin in an impossible position: accept Ukraine’s terms or own the failure of his own proposal. Zelensky made sure to twist the knife: “Russia cannot hold a parade without Ukraine’s goodwill. They fear drones over Red Square. This shows they are not strong now.”
For the first time since 2008, Moscow’s Victory Day parade will proceed without tanks, missiles, or heavy military equipment.
Hours before the ceasefire, Russia killed 7 civilians in Merefa and 2 more in Zaporizhzhia.