politics
Russia and Ukraine Issue Separate Ceasefire Proposals
Russia announced a unilateral truce for its Victory Day parade, prompting Ukraine to counter with its own ceasefire offer amid escalating drone attacks. Separately, a senior Russian official fled to the U.S. amid a fraud probe, Austria expelled three Russian diplomats over espionage suspicions, and European leaders advanced ties with the U.K. and Canada at a summit in Armenia.
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Russia and Ukraine have each declared unilateral ceasefire periods in early May 2026. The Russian Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire from May 8 to May 9 to align with Victory Day commemorations marking the 81st anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared a ceasefire from May 5 to May 6 and stated that Ukraine would observe the Russian period as well if Moscow halts operations, adding that Putin should “take real steps” to end the war.
On May 4 a Ukrainian drone struck a residential high-rise in Moscow, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. No casualties were reported. The Russian Defense Ministry said any disruption to the Victory Day parade would prompt a “massive missile strike” on central Kyiv and advised civilians and diplomatic missions to leave the city in advance.
Austria’s government declared three Russian diplomats persona non gratae and ordered their expulsion on May 4 after intelligence services identified rooftop equipment on Russian diplomatic properties in Vienna as an “antenna forest” used for satellite communications monitoring.
The Directorate for State Security and Intelligence had tracked the installations for several years. The three individuals, identified by Austrian broadcaster ORF as embassy staff, have left the country. Austria has now removed 14 Russian diplomatic personnel since 2020.
The Russian Embassy in Vienna said Moscow would respond severely.
Denis Butsayev, former CEO of the Russian Ecological Operator and recently dismissed first deputy minister at the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, left Russia for the United States via Belarus and Georgia after a fraud investigation was opened against him and other senior managers at the state operator.
