Russia and Ukraine have declared competing unilateral ceasefires in their four-year war, Aljazeera reported. 

Russia announced on Monday that its ceasefire would be between May 8-9, when it traditionally marks Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (as it calls World War II) with a major military parade in Moscow. Kyiv said later that it was calling its own ceasefire for May 5-6.

“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,” the Russian Ministry of Defence said in a post on the state-backed messaging app MAX. “We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit.”