Russia and Ukraine Declare Separate Ceasefires Amid War

Some sources reported that Russia's ceasefire was declared on May 8, while others stated it was for May 8-9.

The number of casualties from Russian attacks varied between sources, with some reporting 22 deaths and others reporting 9 or more.

The exact date of Ukraine's ceasefire was reported as May 5-6 by some sources, while others mentioned May 6.

Kyiv said it would begin a truce on 6 May and then "act symmetrically" after Moscow declared a pause for its Victory Day parade.

Russia demanded a ceasefire on 8 and 9 May but Ukraine said it would pause the fighting sooner, meaning any violations would be pinned on Moscow.

Russian attack on gas facility in Poltava region kills three energy firm employees and two emergency service workers Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” for killing five people in overnight strikes at the same time as seeking a truce so it can stage a military parade in Moscow. Three employees of the state energy firm Naftogaz were killed in an initial attack on a gas facility in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, and two emergency service workers died at the scene in a follow-on bombing. Thirty-seven people were injured in the strikes. Continue reading...

Zelenskyy slams Russia's ‘utter cynicism’ as strikes kill 5 in Ukraine before brief truce takes hold  The Washington Post

Zelenskyy slams Russia's ‘utter cynicism’ as strikes kill 5 in Ukraine before brief truce takes hold  AP News

Ukraine slams Russian ‘cynicism’ ahead of separate truces  The Straits Times

Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, aggregated from sources all over the world by Google News.

Russia declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday and Saturday to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, but threatened to strike back at Kyiv if it tries to disrupt festivities.

Russian attacks on Ukraine killed at least 22 people today, including 12 in one of the worst ⁠strikes so far this year, as the deadline approached for a proposal from Kyiv for an open-ended ceasefire to begin at midnight.

Ukraine piled pressure on Russia after announcing its own truce in response to Russia's demand for a ceasefire to coincide with its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations.

Russia and Ukraine declare separate truces  Le Monde.fr

worldRussia declares a ceasefire on May 8, 9 for Victory Day celebrations; Ukraine’s Zelenskyy announces his own ceasefire regime on May 5, 6

Russia declares 2-day Victory Day ceasefire with Ukraine  nhk.or.jp

Moscow's declaration of May 9 truce comes as Kyiv revels in its adversary's 'fear' of Ukrainian drones.

Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it. Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5-6, saying it was “not serious” to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday. The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to conflict in the Middle East. Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight. “In accordance with a decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared from May 8–9, 2026… We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,” the Russian defence ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging service MAX. “If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv,” it added. “We warn the civilian population of Kyiv and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly.” Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year with a massive military parade through Red Square. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that having a ceasefire so Moscow could mark the celebration was “not serious”, and that Russia was afraid Ukrainian drones would “buzz over Red Square”. “As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media,” Zelensky said in a post on X. “In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect,” he added. The Ukrainian leader later landed in the Gulf nation of Bahrain for talks on “security cooperation”, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP. Deadly attacks Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least nine people on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials. A Russian ballistic missile attack on the town of Merefa – outside Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv – killed seven civilians and wounded dozens earlier Monday, regional authorities said. AFP journalists in Merefa saw several bodies strewn in the street, covered by blankets and white sheets – with shops, houses and cars damaged. A separate Russian strike on the village of Vilnyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed two others, the region’s governor Ivan Fedorov said. “Unfortunately, a married couple was killed: a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman,” Fedorov said. Their 31-year-old son was wounded in the strike, along with three other people, he added. In Russia, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the border region of Belgorod, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. A Ukrainian drone also hit a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight, the Russian capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Russia advances slow Russia lost more territory than it gained in Ukraine in April for the first time since a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed. Moscow ceded control of about 120 square kilometres (46 square miles) between March and April, the ISW data showed. Despite the fighting at the front reaching a near stalemate, intense and deadly drone-dominated attacks have continued unabated in recent months. Russia’s advances have slowed since late 2025, as communication issues in the Russian army combined with Ukrainian counterattacks helped Kyiv make localised breakthroughs in the southeast. The Ukrainian army’s net gains – their first in more than two years – were marginal however, representing only 0.02 per cent of Ukrainian territory, the data showed. Moscow currently occupies just over 19pc of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022. Approximately 7pc, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.

Russia has ordered a two-day ceasefire in the war against Ukraine to coincide with Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2. The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Monday that this would apply on May 8 and 9, following an order from President Vladimir Putin, adding that Moscow expects the Ukrainian side to observe the truce. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine will observe its own truce with Russia on May 5 and 6. Zelensky had...

President Putin has unilaterally declared a two-day truce amid commemorations of the end of World War II in Moscow. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy proposed his own truce starting a couple of days earlier.

Ukraine war latest: Russia extends its 'Victory Day truce', kills 7 and injures 35 in attack on Kharkiv Oblast  The Kyiv Independent

Russia declares a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine to mark Victory Day  AP News

Zelensky on May 9 ceasefire: No official contact with Ukraine on proposal  Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency

Russia extends its 'Victory Day truce' to May 8-9, Ukraine says no proposals received  The Kyiv Independent

Russia declares ceasefire with Ukraine on May 8-9 in honor of Victory Day  Anadolu Ajansı

Putin declares May 8-9 ceasefire with Ukraine to mark WWII anniversary, Defence Ministry says  The Straits Times

Putin declares May 8-9 ceasefire with Ukraine to mark WWII anniversary, Defence Ministry says  Reuters

The decision was made by Russian supreme commander-in-chief Vladimir Putin