Russia and Ukraine entered a fresh, short ceasefire window Saturday after a U.S.-brokered agreement was accepted on both sides, but the pause arrived amid continued exchanges of accusations and strikes that underscored the depth of distrust between the neighbors.
In a Friday announcement, U.S. President Donald Trump said the leaders of Russia and Ukraine had agreed to his request for a ceasefire running from Saturday through Monday, along with a prisoner exchange. Kremlin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov later confirmed that Russia had accepted the initiative and said the deal includes an exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war on each side.
Ukraine’s response came with a clear linkage to prisoners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s consent to the U.S.-brokered agreement was driven by the prospect of freeing its prisoners, while also issuing a decree that mocked Russia’s expected Victory Day celebrations. Zelenskyy said in the decree and on Telegram that Red Square was temporarily off-limits for Ukrainian strikes, writing, “Red Square matters less to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners of war who can be brought home,” according to the AP report.
The Kremlin dismissed Zelenskyy’s decree. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized it as what he described as an attempt to “authorize” a Red Square parade, calling the move a “silly joke.” Peskov also told reporters that “We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of our Victory Day,” AP reported.
The ceasefire agreement also did not come out of a pause in violence. AP reported that a unilateral ceasefire announced by Russia earlier this week and another announced by Ukraine had both failed to hold, with each side blaming the other for continued fighting. The latest development followed a period when Ukraine’s military used drones and missiles to hit deep inside Russia more frequently and accurately, particularly major oil facilities, the AP report said.
Ahead of Victory Day, Russia signaled that its public-facing ceremonies would continue under heightened security and amid limitations inside the country’s capital. The Kremlin had been scheduled to stage its traditional parade on Saturday, with President Vladimir Putin due to make a Victory Day speech marking the 81st anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany.
Officials said the Moscow parade would proceed without tanks, missiles, and other military equipment for the first time in nearly two decades, aside from a traditional flyover by warplanes, attributing the change to the “current operational situation.” Moscow also moved to reduce the risk of drone attacks during the event: the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media said it would restrict mobile internet access and text messaging services in Moscow on Saturday to ensure public safety.
In remarks reported by AP, Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center wrote that a low-key parade carried out “furtively,” with the internet jammed to reduce drone navigation, would demonstrate “fear and weakness.” Baunov’s analysis focused on a tension between the state’s messaging about strength and the wartime precautions Moscow is taking to protect the parade and related events.
As the ceasefire began, both sides continued competing accounts of what happened overnight. The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces in Ukraine “completely ceased combat operations” and stayed at previously occupied lines and positions from midnight, when Putin’s unilateral ceasefire came into force. The ministry also accused Ukrainian forces of striking Russian positions and civilian infrastructure in border areas of Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions.
The ministry also cited Russian air-defense activity, saying defenses shot down 390 Ukrainian drones and six Neptune long-range guided missiles aimed at Russia after midnight. Russia’s Transport Ministry said a Ukrainian drone strike hit the administrative building of the Southern Russia Air Navigation branch in Rostov-on-Don and forced 13 airports in southern Russia to suspend operations, although flights resumed later Friday and officials said it would take up to three days to fully restore air travel.
Ukrainian officials offered a different picture. Zelenskyy said Russian forces continued attacking on the front line overnight, while Ukraine’s air defenses shot down 56 Russian drones. The report also said Ukraine claimed additional long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities, including an attack in the Yaroslavl region and a separate strike on a major Russian oil refinery and a pipeline pumping station in Perm, and that it did not specify when the attacks happened.
In Moscow, Russia’s wartime posture also extended beyond the parade. Russian officials warned that Moscow would respond heavily, including with the possibility of a mass strike on Kyiv, if Ukrainian attacks disrupted official events scheduled for Saturday. AP reported that Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko were expected to attend Victory Day celebrations in the Russian capital.
European leaders planned their movements accordingly. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, who laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier memorial outside the Kremlin walls after arriving in Moscow on Friday, was set to meet with Putin but would stay away from the Red Square parade, AP reported. Russia’s Foreign Ministry advised foreign embassies and international organizations in Kyiv to evacuate their offices in case of strikes, and its Defense Ministry urged civilians to evacuate as well.