Ukraine believes it is no longer bound by the unilateral ceasefire that Russia had announced ahead of the military parade for Victory Day in Moscow, as stated by Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing Moscow of being the first to violate the ceasefire agreement. “We can confirm that the Russian side derailed the ceasefire regime,” he said in a statement Wednesday morning, adding that Ukraine would determine its next steps later in the day. Earlier this week, Russia and Ukraine had announced competing ceasefire proposals, while warning they would respond to any violations.
Initially, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire for Friday and Saturday, so that this year’s parade celebrating victory in World War II could take place in Moscow. This event is a major symbolic occasion for the Kremlin. However, unlike previous years when heavy weapons systems and military equipment participated, this year is expected to feature mainly infantry military formations.
Russia’s warning to Ukraine of “catastrophic response”
Moscow warned there would be a “catastrophic response” in case of a Ukrainian attack on the parade. “If the Kiev regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will launch a massive retaliatory missile strike on central Kiev,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
In response, Zelensky argued that the Kremlin fears potential disruption of the parade by Ukrainian drones, adding that Moscow did not formally request a ceasefire agreement from Kiev. The Ukrainian president countered with his own ceasefire proposal for Tuesday and Wednesday, calling on Russia to observe it if it wanted the ceremony in Moscow to proceed safely.
“Ukraine made it clear that it would act accordingly, taking into account Russia’s continuous calls through media and social networks for a ceasefire during the parade in Moscow,” Zelensky said Wednesday, adding that “the daily murder of people” is incompatible with public celebrations like the Russian parade.
The Ukrainian president accused Russia of 1,820 ceasefire violations, which, he said, included bombings, ground attacks and air strikes.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that multiple attacks were carried out against Ukrainian targets on Tuesday, while simultaneously accusing Ukrainian forces of striking targets within Russia as well as in occupied Crimea.
