It’s where things stand on Thursday, May 8th.
Fineting
The three-day ceasefire declared by Russia to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat came into effect at midnight in Moscow (21:00 GMT, Wednesday). Ukraine has not promised to comply with the ceasefire and instead suggests a 30-day suspension in combat.
The Russian aircraft fired a guided bomb in the Smie region of northern Ukraine early on Thursday morning despite the ceasefire, the Ukrainian air force said in a Telegram post. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damages.
Apart from a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force that Russia launched a guided bomb, there were no other reports of attacks on Ukrainian cities early on Thursday.
Russian troops have shot down 12 Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow, Mayor of the capital Sergei Sobianin said on Wednesday. Russian Air Watchdog said two airports have been temporarily closed, the Zukovsky Airport in the Moscow region and the major airport in Kalga.
Politics and diplomacy
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had never opposed the Ukraine ceasefire, Russian state news agency reported on Wednesday.
Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky said in his evening speech on Wednesday that he was on offer to observe the 30-day ceasefire. “We haven’t retracted this proposal, so it could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelensky said. US Vice President JD Vance appeared at the Munich security conference and said Russia was “seeking too much” in its first offer for a peace deal.
economy
In an interview with Reuters, Ukraine’s central bank governor Andri Pischnee said Kiev is considering moving from the US dollar. Potential joining the European Union and “probability of global trade fragmentation” forces the central bank, among other reasons, to confirm whether the euro should be the reference currency of Ukrainian Fribnia.
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