Russia on Monday declared a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine between May 8-9, when Moscow marks its annual World War II Victory Day commemorations, and threatened a “massive missile strike” on Kyiv if Ukraine violated it.

Ukraine responded by declaring a truce of its own between May 5-6, saying it was “not serious” to expect it to observe a ceasefire during a Russian military holiday.

The quarrelling between the two sides comes with a lull in US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, as Washington shifts its focus to conflict in the Middle East.

Russian strikes killed nine people across Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials, while a Ukrainian drone crashed into a high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight.

“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… We hope that the Ukrainian side will follow suit,” the Russian defence ministry said in a post on state-backed messaging service MAX.

“If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Russian Armed Forces will launch a retaliatory, massive missile strike on the centre of Kyiv,” it added.

“We warn the civilian population of Kyiv and employees of foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city promptly.”

Russia marks World War II Victory Day each year with a massive military parade through Red Square.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that having a ceasefire so Moscow could mark the celebration was “not serious”, and that Russia was afraid Ukrainian drones would “buzz over Red Square”.

“As of today, there has been no official appeal to Ukraine regarding the modality of a cessation of hostilities that is being claimed on Russian social media,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

“In this regard, we are announcing a ceasefire regime starting at 00:00 (2100 GMT) on the night of May 5–6. In the time left until that moment, it is realistic to ensure that silence takes effect,” he added.

The Ukrainian leader later landed in the Gulf nation of Bahrain for talks on “security cooperation”, a source in the Ukrainian delegation told AFP.

Deadly attacks

Russian strikes on Ukraine killed at least nine people on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials.

A Russian ballistic missile attack on the town of Merefa – outside Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv – killed seven civilians and wounded dozens earlier Monday, regional authorities said.

AFP journalists in Merefa saw several bodies strewn in the street, covered by blankets and white sheets – with shops, houses and cars damaged.

A separate Russian strike on the village of Vilnyansk in the southern Zaporizhzhia region killed two others, the region’s governor Ivan Fedorov said.

“Unfortunately, a married couple was killed: a 51-year-old man and a 62-year-old woman,” Fedorov said.

Their 31-year-old son was wounded in the strike, along with three other people, he added.

In Russia, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the border region of Belgorod, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.

A Ukrainian drone also hit a residential high-rise building in an upscale Moscow neighbourhood overnight, the Russian capital’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Russia advances slow

Russia lost more territory than it gained in Ukraine in April for the first time since a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the summer of 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed.

Moscow ceded control of about 120 square kilometres (46 square miles) between March and April, the ISW data showed.

Despite the fighting at the front reaching a near stalemate, intense and deadly drone-dominated attacks have continued unabated in recent months.

Russia’s advances have slowed since late 2025, as communication issues in the Russian army combined with Ukrainian counterattacks helped Kyiv make localised breakthroughs in the southeast.

The Ukrainian army’s net gains – their first in more than two years – were marginal however, representing only 0.02 per cent of Ukrainian territory, the data showed.

Moscow currently occupies just over 19pc of Ukraine, the majority of which it seized during the first weeks of its invasion in 2022.

Approximately 7pc, including Crimea and areas in the Donbas region, were already under Russian or pro-Russian separatist control before the invasion.

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran ...

Russia has ordered a two-day ceasefire in the war against Ukraine to coincide with Victory Day, which marks the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Monday that this would apply on May 8 and 9, following an order from President Vladimir Putin, adding that Moscow expects the Ukrainian side to observe the truce. “If the Kyiv regime attempts to implement its criminal plans to disrupt the celebration of the 81st anniversary of Victory in...

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The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) provided humanitarian assistance to over half a dozen sailors stuck aboard an Indian offshore tug and supply vessel in the Arabian Sea, security sources said on Monday.

The rescue and support operation for the crew, which included six Indians and one Indonesian national, was initiated after the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre in Mumbai contacted Pakistani authorities and requested assistance.

They reported a technical fault on the MV Gautam, which was en route from Oman to India, security sources said. The Pakistan Navy deployed the PMSS Kashmir to carry out rescue operations.

Emergency assistance, including food, medical aid, and technical support, was provided to the crew of MV Gautam, the sources said, adding that support operations for the vessel remain ongoing.

Last month, the Pakistan Navy carried out an operation in the Arabian Sea and rescued 18 crew members, including foreign nationals, of a merchant vessel following a distress call.

“In a swift humanitarian operation, Pakistan Navy successfully rescued and evacuated 18 crew members, including nationals of China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia, following a distress call from merchant vessel (MV) Gold Autumn, operating in North Arabian Sea at 200 nautical miles (approximately 370 km) off Pakistan’s coast,” a statement had said.

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi on Monday announced the recovery of 80 acres of government land illegally allotted to Bahria Town in the Gulshan-i-Sarmast housing scheme in Hyderabad’s Deh Ganjo Takkar, a press release said.

According to the press release, the land worth Rs6 billion was located in a prime area of Hyderabad district.

“The management of Bahria Town got the possession of the land through the illegal allotment against the meagre amount of Rs383 million, which was also defaulted,” the bureau said.

Furthermore, the statement said that Bahria Town had also failed to fulfil the terms and conditions of the allotment, as the land was intended for the establishment of a university.

“Accordingly, the matter was taken up with Hyderabad Development Authority and as a result of efforts and intervention of NAB, the HDA cancelled the allotment and possession with forfeiture of the partially paid amount by Bahria Town,” the statement added.

Last week, an accountability court issued perpetual arrest warrants against property tycoon and Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz, his son, and others in the land grab case.

The NAB had filed a reference in 2025 against the owners of Bahria Town, senior PPP leaders and government officials for allegedly converting, exchanging and transferring government land to Bahria Town for its projects in Karachi.

WASHINGTON: Public opinion within parts of the American-Jewish community on the US-led war against Iran has shown a noticeable shift, with support easing and opposition rising over time, according to a recent survey.

While different polls focus on different segments of the community, both point to growing reservations about the campaign as it has progressed.

The Jewish People Policy Institute’s “Voice of the Jewish People Index” survey, which tracks attitudes among a more connected segment of American Jews engaged with organised communal life, records a steady decline in support over the course of the conflict.

Backing fell from 68 per cent in the war’s first week to 62pc in the third week, and further to 60pc in the week following the ceasefire, while opposition rose from 26pc to 34pc over the same period, the survey shows.

A separate nationwide survey conducted by GBAO Strategies for the advocacy group J Street, which reflects a broader sample of American Jewish voters, suggests that scepticism is even more widespread, finding that about 60 per cent opposed the war in March.

A breakdown of respondents in the “Voice of the Jewish People Index” survey by ideological orientation points to strong political polarisation in perceptions of the campaign.

Among self-identified “strong liberals,” opposition to the move was overwhelming, with 71pc against it. The “leaning liberal” group appeared the most divided and uncertain, with opinion almost evenly split between support and opposition (42pc and 44pc respectively), while a relatively high 15pc remained undecided or expressed no clear view.

In contrast, there is near-total support for the decision among conservative respondents, with approval reaching 96pc among “strong conservatives” and 94pc among “leaning conservatives.”

Centrist respondents also showed substantial backing, with 83pc expressing support for the war.

In the first week after the ceasefire came into effect, broad support for the war remained high among Jewish respondents in Canada (81pc) and the United Kingdom (75pc), while opposition stayed relatively limited, ranging between roughly one-sixth and one-quarter.

Alongside the gradual decline in support for the Iran war, there was also a noticeable shift in how respondents perceived the mood within their own social circles.

At the outset of the war, a majority (53pc) believed that most of their Jewish acquaintances supported the campaign. This perception fell to 43pc within a month. Over the same period, the share reporting that opposition was present within their social environment increased from 20pc to 28pc.

A breakdown by ideological orientation highlights sharp differences in how respondents perceive their social environments. At the liberal end of the spectrum, a majority (56pc) report that opposition to the war is more common within their social circles, compared with 21pc who say they observe support.

This pattern reverses moving rightward: among centrists and conservative respondents, perceived support within social environments rises to between 59pc and 63pc, while reported opposition falls to 14pc or lower.

Notably, a relatively high share of respondents selected “don’t know,” suggesting possible reluctance or avoidance in discussing the issue within social settings.

In parallel, assessments among US respondents show a clear decline in perceived success of the war compared with the previous month. The share describing the campaign as a “major success” fell from 24pc to 14pc, while those viewing it as a “failure” doubled from 14pc to 25pc.

Overall, the proportion who regarded the war as successful (combining “major” and “somewhat successful”) declined from 66pc in March to 56pc in April, while negative assessments rose from 26pc to 40pc.

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WASHINGTON, May 4 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran ...

WASHINGTON, May 4 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran ...