Ukraine war
Zelensky’s ceasefire period is running
Updated May 5, 2026 – 11:34 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
Zelensky is counting on an indefinite ceasefire – but Russian attacks have recently claimed many victims. What happens if Moscow doesn’t respect the ceasefire?
The time for a unilateral ceasefire declared by President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Ukraine war is running out. The Ukrainian head of state had set the start at midnight local time on Wednesday (Tuesday 11 p.m. CEST). It was not immediately clear whether air strikes and fighting on the ground could actually be stopped. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian air strikes only threatened some districts near the front. There was no air alert in most parts of the country at midnight.
The ceasefire is valid indefinitely as long as Russia does not attack, explained the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Budanov: “If the ceasefire is mutually observed, then we will continue it.” Zelensky had previously said that Kiev would react in the same way if the Russian side did not comply.
On the Russian side, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin has unilaterally ordered a ceasefire only for Friday and Saturday, when the Soviet victory in the Second World War is commemorated in Russia. Zelensky’s announcement of an earlier ceasefire was not commented on in Moscow on Tuesday.
During Tuesday, Russian airstrikes with drones, missiles and bombs caused many deaths and injuries in Ukraine. Ukraine hit a defense factory and a large refinery in Russia with combat drones during the night and continued to attack throughout the day.
Shortly before the declared start of the ceasefire, the Ukrainian army attacked the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with drones. The Russian occupation administration told the state news agency Tass that five civilians were killed in the city of Dzhankoi. Anti-aircraft defenses were deployed over the port city of Sevastopol. Twelve Ukrainian drones were shot down, it said.
