Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a decree formally permitting Russia to hold its Victory Day military parade in Moscow, stating that Ukrainian forces will not target Red Square during the event. The move follows US President Donald Trump's announcement of a three-day ceasefire between the warring nations, which began on Saturday.
Ceasefire and Prisoner Swap
Trump declared the ceasefire on Friday, covering Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, alongside a prisoner exchange that will see each country release 1,000 detainees. The US president said the ceasefire would "include a suspension of all kinetic activity." Both Russia and Ukraine confirmed they would observe the truce, with Zelensky stating it would start at 10am Kyiv time.
Zelensky credited the "negotiating process mediated by the American side" for securing the deal and thanked Trump. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov confirmed Russia's participation, according to state-run TASS news agency.
Victory Day Parade
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a speech at a scaled-back parade marking the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. For the first time in nearly two decades, the parade will feature no tanks or heavy military equipment, aside from a traditional flyover of combat jets. Foreign dignitaries including Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, Laos President Thongloun Sisoulith, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are attending.
Zelensky's decree stated: "I hereby decree: to permit the holding of a parade in the city of Moscow (Russian Federation) on 9 May 2026." He added that "for the duration of the parade, the territorial sector of Red Square shall be excluded from the operational use plan of Ukrainian weaponry."
Russia Flies Victory Banner Over Occupied Ukraine
Russia's defence ministry broadcast footage of troops flying a drone with a replica of the historic "Victory Banner" above areas captured from Ukraine in the eastern Donbas region. The banner, originally erected by Red Army soldiers atop the Reichstag in Berlin in 1945, was also raised in Krasnoarmeysk, Grishino, and Seversk in occupied Donetsk to "symbolise the unbreakable bond between generations and fidelity to the heroic traditions of our Fatherland," the ministry said.
French Arrest Ukrainian Suspected of War Crimes
French police arrested a Ukrainian man charged with committing war crimes at the Russian-run Izolyatsia prison in Donetsk. The suspect is accused of voluntarily collaborating with Russian officials from 2017 to 2019, assisting the prison head in torturing detainees. He had been living in France since 2021. The prison, set up by Russian forces in 2014, became known for illegal imprisonment and torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war, activists, and journalists.
Trump expressed hope for an extension of the ceasefire, saying he would like to see "a big extension" and that it "could be extended." He added: "Hopefully, it is the beginning of the end of a very long, deadly, and hard fought war."
