Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations of ceasefire violations on Friday as Moscow prepared for its annual Victory Day celebrations under heightened security amid fears of Ukrainian drone
attacks.
More than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, fighting continues unabated across the front lines, with both sides deploying missiles, drones and artillery despite competing calls for temporary truces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral two-day ceasefire for Friday and Saturday to coincide with commemorations marking the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two — Russia’s most significant national holiday.
Kyiv rejected the limited truce, arguing that a pause tied only to holiday events was insufficient. Ukrainian officials instead proposed an unconditional ceasefire beginning two days earlier, a proposal Moscow dismissed.
Russia’s Defence Ministry said its air defences intercepted 264 Ukrainian drones overnight into Friday. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said drones targeted the Russian capital, while officials also reported attacks in the Perm region in the Urals.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for strikes on an oil refinery in Perm for a second consecutive day, as well as another energy facility in Yaroslavl.
The Kremlin has warned that any Ukrainian attempt to disrupt Saturday’s Victory Day parade on Red Square would trigger a large-scale missile response against Kyiv. Russian officials have reportedly advised foreign diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital if such an attack occurs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces continued overnight attacks on Ukrainian positions, describing Moscow’s ceasefire declaration as insincere.
“Russia has not made even a token attempt to cease fire on the front,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine would continue defending its territory and civilians.
Robert Brovdi, a Ukrainian drone commander, told *The Guardian* that while a symbolic strike on Red Square would attract global attention, Ukraine was more likely to target weaker points in Russia’s defences.
“Why waste drones on the ‘great wall’?” he said, referring to tightened security around Moscow. “If you hit the energy sector or military, that’s the best strike.”
Victory Day overshadowed by war
The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million people during World War Two, including millions from Ukraine, before Soviet troops pushed Nazi Germany back to Berlin in 1945.
Victory Day celebrations have long served as a showcase of Russian military power, traditionally featuring tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles parading through Red Square. This year, however, military hardware will reportedly be absent from the parade due to security concerns.
The Kremlin said security measures around Putin and the parade have been significantly reinforced amid fears of Ukrainian attacks. Putin is expected to deliver a speech before meeting visiting dignitaries from countries including Laos, Malaysia and Slovakia.
In recent years, the Kremlin has increasingly used Victory Day commemorations to rally domestic support for the war in Ukraine. Yet Russia’s campaign has now lasted longer than the Soviet Union’s direct involvement in World War Two from 1941 to 1945, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
Security across Moscow has intensified ahead of Saturday’s events. Russian security personnel in all-terrain vehicles have been deployed near the Kremlin, while several metro stations in central Moscow are expected to close during the celebrations.
Russia currently controls about 19% of Ukrainian territory, but its battlefield advances have slowed significantly this year. According to pro-Ukrainian monitoring maps, Russian forces captured roughly 700 square kilometres during the first four months of 2026.
Meanwhile, peace negotiations remain stalled, with Ukraine rejecting Moscow’s demands that it cede territory defended since the start of the invasion. Photo by Vyacheslav Argenberg, Wikimedia commons.
