Putin's 3-day ceasefire goes into effect ahead of Victory Day celebrations
Russia's three-day ceasefire in Ukraine has gone into effect, ahead of Moscow's Victory Day celebrations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously announced a temporary ceasefire during the 80th anniversary commemoration of what Russia celebrates as "V Day," which celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945.
He declared the ceasefire will be in effect from May 8 until May 10.
There was no negotiation process with Ukraine, with the Kremlin only saying that Kyiv "should follow" its lead.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had argued instead for a 30-day suspension of hostilities, in line with a U.S. proposal Ukraine had previously accepted.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Kremlin-friendly world leaders are expected to attend the V Day celebrations.
Celebrations will be held all over Russia, with the main event a military parade through Moscow overseen by Putin, top Kremlin officials and visiting world leaders -- among them Xi, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Ahead of the V Day celebrations, Ukraine launched a drone assault, with the Russian Ministry of Defense saying Wednesday it shot down 524 Ukrainian drones over the last day.
Ukraine's continued strikes have already forced Russian authorities in occupied Crimea to cancel their planned Victory Day parade, with Sevastopol Gov. Mikhail Razvozhayev announcing the event would not go ahead due to security concerns, in a statement quoted by the state-run Tass news agency.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Wednesday that Russia attacked with ballistic strikes and more than 140 drones overnight in cities including Kyiv, Kharkiv and Sumy.
"Ukraine's proposal for a ceasefire of at least 30 days still stands, we are not withdrawing it, as it offers a real chance for diplomacy," the Ukrainian president said in a statement on social media. "But it is Russia that the world sees giving no answer -- no response except for new strikes. This clearly and obviously shows who is the source of this war."
"Russia must end its aggression -- and it will have to. The only question is time," he added.
Putin previously declared a 30-hour "Easter truce" that started on April 20. There was some reduction in the intensity of hostilities then, though both sides accused the other of violating the ceasefire.
ABC News' David Brennan contributed to this report.
