Russia could launch a significant attack on Ukraine during the period of a ceasefire unilaterally declared by Vladimir Putin, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv has said.
Ukraine rejected Putin’s call for a ceasefire between May 8 and May 11 in honor of Friday’s Victory Day celebrations in Red Square, Moscow, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Newsweek has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry and U.S. embassy for comment.
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Why It Matters
The warning by the U.S. embassy for civilians to take cover signals that, as Kyiv had previously said, Putin’s call for a three-day ceasefire during the parade was not sincere.
It also adds another obstacle to U.S. calls for a 30-day ceasefire. Ukraine has reported that Russia continued to launch deadly attacks against civilians, and combat operations on the front lines are ongoing.
What To Know
The Kremlin announced a truce from midnight May 8 to midnight on May 11, although Kyiv had dismissed this is a “theatrical” offer, especially given that hostilities continued during previous self-declared ceasefires.
On the day when Moscow’s Red Square saw military hardware parade in front of Putin and world leaders took place, the U.S. embassy issued a warning that Russia cold launch a “potentially significant attack” in the coming days.
Friday’s statement from the embassy urged American citizens to take shelter if there was an aerial alert, following the language previously issued as part of its standard security protocols.
The statement called for people to identify shelter locations; download a reliable air alert app; keep reserves of water, food and medication; and follow the directions of Ukrainian officials and first responders.
It gave no details regarding the kind of potential attack. Ukrainian military news outlet Militarnyi said that Russia will close its airspace over its Kapustin Yar missile testing range in Astrakhan region on May 12 and 13 to allow for the launch of ballistic missiles.
A similar flight ban was put in place on November 21 ahead of a ballistic missile strike by a Kedr (Oreshnik) missile on the city of Dnipro.
Despite the supposed truce, Kyiv has said that Russia had continued to launch deadly attacks against civilians in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian military has reported that combat operations on the front lines had not stopped.
Russia’s troops launched 130 guided aerial bombs on Thursday against Sumy Oblast, and a Russian drone killed a man in Kherson on Saturday morning.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces made four attempts to break through to the Kursk and Belgorod regions in Russia and shelled Russian territory almost 1,500 times during the so-called truce.
The Russian Defense Ministry statement also said that, on Thursday night, Ukraine organized attacks and reconnaissance operations in the country’s Luhansk and Donetsk regions and had conducted over 5,000 violations of the ceasefire.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said it had “received information concerning a potentially significant air attack that may occur at any time over the next several days.”
What Happens Next
U.S. President Donald Trump has called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, which Kyiv first agreed to in March, but Moscow has refused. However, the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has teased an agreement over the terms for such a ceasefire as Kyiv’s allies meet in the Ukrainian capital this weekend.