Russia Declares Two-Day Truce with Ukraine for May 9

The Russian Ministry of Defense has announced a temporary truce with Ukraine for May 8–9. According to the BBC Russian Service, this decision was made in observance of the Victory Day holiday.

Russian officials emphasized that the step was taken following a decision by President Vladimir Putin. The Ministry stated it hopes Ukraine will support this initiative.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a "silence regime" would be introduced starting at 00:00 on the night of May 6. According to him, no official proposal regarding the specific terms of a truce had been received from the Russian side prior to this.

Furthermore, the Russian Ministry of Defense warned that it reserves the right to launch retaliatory strikes should there be any actions from the Ukrainian side. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities stated they would provide a "mirror response" to the evolving situation.

Earlier, it was reported that military hardware would not participate in the May 9 parade in Moscow. The Kremlin explained this decision as a measure necessitated by the current security situation.