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Russia and Ukraine traded attacks connected Friday (May 8, 2026), with a two-day unilateral ceasefire that Moscow had declared astir its World War II commemorations appearing to beryllium successful tatters.
Ukraine ne'er said it would abide by Moscow's telephone to halt strikes and lambasted Russian person Vladimir Putin for lone wanting to intermission warring truthful helium could signifier a expansive parade connected Red Square connected Saturday (May 9, 2026).
Kyiv said Moscow ignored a Ukrainian connection to halt warring earlier this week — a counteroffer for a short-term ceasefire that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formed arsenic a trial of whether the Kremlin was superior astir providing a little respite successful the four-year war.
Russia has threatened a monolithic onslaught connected the bosom of Kyiv if it disrupts the Victory Day parade connected Saturday (May 9), repeatedly urging overseas diplomats to permission the Ukrainian superior up of time.
On the streets of Kyiv, immoderate brushed disconnected the Russian threats.
"Nothing caller volition happen," Vasyl Kobzar, a 40-year-old slope employee, told AFP. "I'm worried, but it's go routine, unfortunately."
Engineer Viktoria Dorofeeva, 30, said she had nary plans to permission the city. "I'll conscionable spell to a shelter; that's the astir I'll do. If we don't strike, they'll onslaught anyway."
Ukrainian officials told AFP determination had been nary orders for further information measures to beryllium taken truthful far. "We're conscionable giving (the Russians) the finger," 1 lawmaker, speaking anonymously, said.
Fighting continues
Ukraine's aerial unit said Russia fired 67 drones overnight — the lowest fig successful astir a month.
"Despite the declared ceasefire, the force has not reduced the strength of battle operations," Mr. Zelenskyy said.
"As we did implicit the past 24 hours, Ukraine volition respond successful benignant contiguous arsenic well," helium wrote connected X earlier, besides saying Russian forces continued to property connected the beforehand line.
Russia's Defence Ministry said it had downed much than 400 Ukrainian drones since midnight, and that its troops were "responding symmetrically".
Mr. Zelenskyy hailed a Ukrainian onslaught connected an lipid depot successful the Yaroslavl region, astir 200 kilometres (about 125 miles) northeast of Moscow.
Kyiv's SBU information work said it had struck a refinery successful Russia's Perm region, immoderate 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) from the border, for the 3rd clip successful the past fewer weeks.
Some 13 airports successful confederate Russia were closed connected Friday aft a Ukrainian drone deed an aerial navigation centre successful the confederate metropolis of Rostov-on-Don, Moscow's Transport Ministry said.
Zelenskyy warning, Russian threat
Ukraine had blasted Russia's impermanent truce arsenic a propaganda measurement to support the triumph parade connected May 9 — 1 of the astir important patriotic events for Russian person Vladimir Putin.
Hours earlier Russia's ceasefire began, Zelensky warned Moscow's allies against attending the parade.
"We person besides received messages from immoderate states adjacent to Russia, saying that their representatives program to beryllium successful Moscow... We bash not urge it," Mr. Zelenskyy said.
Russia has doubly this week vowed a immense onslaught connected Kyiv if the Red Square parade — wherever Mr. Putin volition present a defiant code linking Soviet triumph implicit Nazi Germany with his penetration of Ukraine — is attacked connected Saturday (May 9).
Mr. Zelenskyy volition enactment successful Kyiv implicit the weekend, a elder root adjacent to the Ukrainian President told AFP on information of anonymity.
The EU, Britain and Germany were among the overseas missions successful the Ukrainian superior that rejected and condemned the Russian threat.
Russia's state Iran meantime advised its citizens to "stay distant from authorities and subject locations" connected May 8 and 9, its embassy successful Kyiv said connected Telegram.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers from some sides and tens of thousands of civilians, astir successful Ukraine, person been killed since Mr. Putin ordered the penetration successful February 2022.
Parade astatine risk
Mr. Putin has made representation of the Soviet triumph implicit Nazi Germany a cardinal communicative of his 25-year rule, staging monolithic parades successful cardinal Moscow connected May 9 and invoking it to warrant his penetration of Ukraine.
But the Kremlin is connected borderline aft a spate of Ukrainian long-range attacks connected vigor facilities successful caller weeks.
Military hardware volition beryllium absent from the parade for the archetypal clip successful astir 2 decades and lone a fistful of low-key overseas guests volition attend.
Moscow has besides been intermittently shutting disconnected mobile net up of the celebrations.
Talks connected ending what has spiralled into Europe's worst struggle since World War II person shown small advancement and person been sidelined by the Iran conflict.
