Ukraine, Russia trade attacks despite 'ceasefire'

Russia had declared a unilateral ceasefire for World War II commemorations, but Ukraine said Moscow has not held off.

Both sides reported new strikes.

A Victory Day parade in Moscow will be more subdued this year.

Here is a roundup of everything you need to know about Russia's war in Ukraine on Friday, May 8:
US willing to mediate but not to waste time: Rubio
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is still prepared to mediate between Russia and Ukraine to end the war between them if it can be productive.

At the same time, Rubio said the US does not want to waste time if no progress is made.

Earlier today, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected US envoys to visit Kyiv in the coming weeks in a bid to restart the negotiations over ending the war, which started with Russia's full-scale invasion into the country in February 2022.

Why Russia has scaled back its May 9 Victory Parade
The traditional Victory Day parade in the Russian capital, Moscow, will not feature the usual display of military vehicles on Red Square, and no cadets from prestigious military academies will attend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, explained that no military hardware would be used in the celebrations because of the "terrorist threat" from Ukraine.

In some regions of Russia, the Victory Day celebrations have been canceled entirely.

More on the reasons behind Russia's scaled-back parade:
Why Russia has scaled back May 9 Victory Parade
US envoys to visit Ukraine, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he expected US envoys sent by President Donald Trump to visit Kyiv in a bid to restart efforts on bringing the war to an end.

"We are coordinating the schedule of necessary visits and expect representatives of the American President at the turn of spring-summer," Zelenskyy posted on social media, adding that he hopes that this round of talks would lead to "activating diplomacy."
The US-led negotiations have so far failed to bring about a breakthrough which would end the war launched by Russia on Ukraine, despite holding several rounds of talks.

More than 3,000 attacks on Ukraine's healthcare recorded: WHO
More than 3,000 attacks on Ukraine 's healthcare system have been registered since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 , the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

According to the WHO, about 80% of the attacks have been on outpatient clinics, hospitals and other health institutions, with the remaining 20% of the strikes being on ambulances and other health-related vehicles.

Hans Kluge, the director of WHO Europe, said every single one of the attacks recorded is a "violation of international humanitarian law," adding such attacks "cannot be normalized."
According to the UN, almost 13 million people in Ukraine require humanitarian aid.

Life in Kyiv: Working through war and blackouts
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Fire near Chernobyl due to crashed drone: Ukraine
A drone crash caused a large forest fire within the Chernobyl exclusion zone near the area's defunct nuclear plant, Ukrainian authorities said.

According to the local authorities, radiation levels in the area were within "normal limits," with firefighters being on site to work on containing the fire.

Ukraine has repeatedly blamed Russia for carrying out attacks on its nuclear sites.

The area around the Chernobyl nuclear plant has largely been deserted since the catastrophic meltdown at the plant in April 1986.

Chernobyl radiation fears resurface as Ukraine war drags on
Moscow prepares for more subdued Victory Day parade
Russia will hold its annual victory parade over Nazi Germany in Moscow on Saturday, with the parade expected to be much smaller than in previous years , as tanks and other heavy military equipment being left out due to worries over Ukrainian attacks.

The number of foreign guests at the parade will be much more limited than in previous years, with only the leaders of Belarus, Malaysia and Laos attending, the Kremlin said.

The leaders of two Georgian breakaway republics backed by Russia not recognized by the UN will also be in attendance.

World War Two, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, is one of the central elements emphasized by Vladimir Putin during his 25-year rule in the country.

Russia says army responding 'symmetrically' to Ukraine attacks
Russia's army said it was responding "symmetrically" to Ukrainian attacks.

This comes during Moscow's unilateral two-day ceasefire, which Ukraine never agreed to, blaming Russia for only wanting a halt in fighting so that it would be able to celebrate an extravagant Victory Day parade over Nazi Germany in its capital.

According to Russia's Defense Ministry, Ukraine shot hundreds of drones and carried out artillery strikes on the front line.

The threat of Ukrainian attacks also resulted in more than a dozen airports in southern Russia being closed, according to the country's aviation authorities.

Earlier, Russia threatened that any attempt to disrupt the Parade in Moscow will be answered by a heavy attack.

Zelenskyy criticizes Russia's 'not even token attempt' at ceasefire
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called Russia's unilateral ceasefire announcement "not even a token attempt."
"As we did over the past 24 hours, Ukraine will respond in kind today as well," Zelensky wrote on X.

Ukraine criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin for only announcing the ceasefire so that he would be able to hold the Victory Day Parade over Nazi Germany in Moscow.

Zelenskyy also said Russia carried out hundreds of attacks on the front line using short-range drones.

Kyiv said Moscow ignored a Ukrainian counter-proposal to halt fighting earlier this week, Zelensky had cast the Ukrainian proposal as a test of whether the Kremlin was serious about providing a brief respite in the four-year war.

But already on Wednesday, Ukraine said that Russia had shown no will to stop fighting, by attacking Ukrainian cities overnight with more than 100 combat drones and three missiles.

At least 27 people were killed and dozens more injured in Russian strikes across eastern Ukraine late on Tuesday night.

President Zelenskyy said one attack in the city of Poltava was "especially vile" because Russia launched a second missile at the same target when emergency rescuers were working at the scene.

Ukraine accuses Russia of violating truce with drone barrage
Russia may have unilaterally called a ceasefire in its full-scale war in Ukraine to celebrate its World War Two Victory Day over Nazi Germany, but Ukraine never agreed, and Russia has continued launching missiles and drones throughout the week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia's announcement "not even a token" of a ceasefire attempt.

Meanwhile, Moscow's Victory Day parade set for Saturday will be held without any military equipment due to worries of Ukrainian strikes, with Russia threatening to strike Ukraine heavily should it disrupt the Parade with attacks.

Follow DW as we give you all the latest.

Ukraine war: Will the Victory Day ceasefire hold?