Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared a unilateral ceasefire beginning at midnight on the night of May 5 to 6, 2026, and called on Russia to respond in kind. The move came in response to Russian talk of a truce around the May 9 Victory Day celebrations, and it puts the onus on Moscow to show whether it is serious about stopping the fighting.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine values human life far more than any anniversary “celebration” and would mirror Russia’s actions from the moment the ceasefire took effect. He urged Russian leaders to “take real steps to end their war.”
No official word from Moscow
Zelenskyy said Kyiv had received no official signal from Russia about halting hostilities, despite claims on Russian social media, and that there had been “no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities.” He noted that the United States and Russia had discussed a possible May 9 ceasefire without Ukraine taking part.
The Institute for the Study of War described Zelenskyy’s decision as a direct response to Russian rhetoric about a Victory Day ceasefire, designed to test whether Russian forces would reciprocate.
Russia’s truce comes with a threat
Putin first raised the idea of a May 9 ceasefire in an April 29 phone call with US President Donald Trump. On May 4, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire for May 8 and 9 on Putin’s orders, framing it as a tribute to the Soviet victory in World War II and saying it hoped Ukraine would follow.
The ministry also warned that if Kyiv tried to disrupt the anniversary, Russia would launch “a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv,” and urged civilians and foreign diplomatic staff to leave the city. It confirmed there would be no military hardware at this year’s Moscow parade, citing the threat of Ukrainian long-range drones. Zelenskyy remarked that Russia’s Defense Ministry apparently believes it cannot hold its parade without Ukraine’s goodwill.
Deadly strikes continue
The ceasefire announcements came amid continued bloodshed. On May 4, a Russian ballistic missile attack on Merefa in the Kharkiv region killed seven civilians and wounded dozens, while a strike on Vilniansk in the Zaporizhzhia region killed a married couple. In Russia’s Belgorod region, the governor said a Ukrainian drone killed one civilian and wounded seven. US-led peace efforts have largely stalled, overshadowed by the war with Iran.
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