Russia’s Defense Ministry declared a unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine for Friday 8th and Saturday 9th to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II, but threatened to retaliate against Kiev if Ukraine tries to disrupt Victory Day festivities.
In a statement released this Monday, the 4th, the Ministry of Defense said it hoped that Ukraine would “follow suit” in relation to the ceasefire for Russia’s most important secular holiday. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities.
Last week, authorities decided to suspend the traditional military parade in Moscow’s Red Square, citing concerns about possible Ukrainian attacks. Ukraine has been carrying out drone attacks on Russian territory to contain the invasion that has lasted more than four years.
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The Defense Ministry said that if Ukraine tries to disrupt Saturday’s celebrations, Russia will carry out a “massive missile attack on the center of Kiev.” The ministry warned the civilian population and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of “the need to leave the city immediately.”
For years, the Kremlin has used the pompous Victory Day parade to display its military might and global influence, as well as a source of patriotic pride.
But the parade in the Russian capital will take place without tanks, missiles and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades. Some of the smaller parades held in other parts of the country have also been cordoned off by walls or even canceled for security reasons.
World War II remains a rare point of consensus in Russia’s troubled history under communist rule. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what it called the Great Patriotic War between 1941 and 1945, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar on the national psyche.
Vladimir Putin, who has ruled Russia for more than 25 years, has made Victory Day a key pillar of his mandate and tried to use it to justify the war in Ukraine. Last year’s parade, celebrating the 80th anniversary, attracted the largest number of world leaders in a decade to Moscow, including high-profile guests such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Putin had declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting May 7, 2025, and authorities blocked mobile internet in Moscow for several days to prevent Ukrainian drone attacks.
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Victory Day is a rare historical event revered by all Russian political actors in the post-Soviet period. Since 2023, Ukraine has moved away from Russian tradition and celebrated the 1945 victory on May 8, just like Western countries.
