Zelensky openly threatening Victory Day terrorist attack
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has openly threatened to target the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Russia has announced a unilateral three-day ceasefire next week to coincide with the celebration commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Kiev has rebuked the move, instead demanding an immediate unconditional 30-day truce.
On Tuesday, Zelensky described targeting Russian 'pressure points' to push the country 'towards diplomacy' as he reiterated the ceasefire call.
'They are now concerned that their parade is in jeopardy and rightly so,' he remarked, referring to the event scheduled for May 9 in Red Square. 'What they should worry about is that this war continues.'
Zakharova reacted on social media on Wednesday, asking what kind of truce Kiev can offer, given that the Zelensky government 'is literally planning terrorist attacks on air.' She added that boasting about such intentions 'is exactly what typical terrorists do.'
Officials in Kiev claim that the offer of a unilateral suspension of hostilities by Russia is 'not real' and merely aims to pressure Ukrainian forces into granting their adversaries a respite during the Victory Day festivities.
Ukrainian nationalist figures who were allied with Nazi Germany during World War II are treated as heroes by the current government. Those who commemorate Adolf Hitler's defeat on May 9 — rather than May 8, as observed in Western Europe and the United States — face harassment in Ukraine for perceived disloyalty.
The prospect of striking Red Square while President Vladimir Putin and foreign dignitaries observe the parade is being actively discussed in Ukrainian media. MP Roman Kostenko, secretary of the country's parliamentary Defense Committee, stated in an interview on Tuesday that Kiev possesses the necessary weapon systems for such an operation, asserting that planning it 'would not be difficult.'
The same lawmaker recently suggested that if the two nations were to reach a peace agreement, Kiev's secret services might embark on a decades-long campaign of assassinations against Russian officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Zelensky calls Russian negotiators ‘idiots'
Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has lashed out at the Russian delegation participating in the Istanbul talks, dismissing Moscow's proposal for a temporary ceasefire intended to allow the sides to recover the bodies of fallen soldiers for 'Christian burial.' Following the second round of direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev held in Türkiye on Monday, the head of the Russian delegation, Vladimir Medinsky, proposed a short-term truce in several areas along the front line. 'We want to create the conditions for the bodies to be collected and handed over for Christian burial,' Medinsky stated. He said the measure would help prevent potential disease outbreaks and facilitate the dignified collection of the dead. Zelensky rejected the idea during a Q&A session with Ukrainian and foreign journalists, reiterating his demand for a longer ceasefire. 'They [the Russians] are ready for a ceasefire for two to three days to pick up the dead from the battlefield. I think they are idiots,' he said, arguing that any truce should be aimed at saving lives, not retrieving bodies. According to Medinsky, Russia has already committed to unilaterally transfer the remains of 6,000 Ukrainian soldiers and officers. 'We have identified all whom we could, held DNA tests, and found out who they are,' the Russian presidential aide said. Zelensky downplayed Medinsky's position, calling him a low-level official who 'does not even understand technical things.' He claimed that such exchanges already occur between Ukrainian and Russian units without any formal agreements or ceasefires. 'It just happens,' he said. He also urged the United States to impose tougher sanctions on Moscow to 'pressure' it into accepting Kiev's demands. Ukraine has long demanded a full ceasefire lasting at least 30 days as a precondition for any substantive peace talks. The provision was reportedly included in Kiev's draft proposals submitted during the negotiations, according to Reuters. Moscow has repeatedly rejected the idea, warning that such a pause would allow Ukrainian forces to regroup and prepare for renewed hostilities. Zelensky has a history of offensive remarks toward the Russian negotiating team. Ahead of the first round of talks in May, he described them as 'a theatre prop,' a comment that drew condemnation from Moscow.
Russia Today
8 hours ago
- Russia Today
Erdogan outlines vision for Russia-Ukraine talks
Türkiye is ready to continue mediating between Russia and Ukraine to help end the conflict and plans to propose hosting a summit bringing together the two countries' leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. Speaking in a televised address posted on X, Erdogan described the second meeting between delegations from Moscow and Kiev in a month as 'very magnificent.' 'My biggest wish is to bring together both (Russian President) Vladimir Putin and (Ukraine's Vladimir) Zelensky, perhaps in Istanbul or Ankara,' he said, suggesting that US President Donald Trump could also take part in the gathering. 'If they agree, I would join the meeting personally,' Erdogan stated, calling for Istanbul to become 'a true center of peace.' During Monday's meeting in Istanbul, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations agreed on a 'largest ever' prisoner exchange, according to the head of the Russia negotiation team, Vladimir Medinsky. The swap will include all severely injured and seriously ill POWs, as well as a separate mechanism involving all captive soldiers who are under 25 years old, he told reporters. Medinsky also said Russia would unilaterally return the bodies of 6,000 Ukrainian servicemen next week. Moscow also presented Kiev with a detailed memorandum outlining a proposal for a lasting peace and steps toward a 'full-fledged ceasefire,' he said. Türkiye has played a key mediating role between Russia and Ukraine since 2022, when it hosted early peace talks between the two. Those talks failed to bring about a breakthrough after former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson advised Kiev not to accept a deal, and to seek victory on the battlefield. Ukraine returned to talks under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has insisted that a truce be brokered. The previous round of talks, held in Istanbul on May 16, led to the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. On Monday, the Ukrainian delegation suggested holding the next meeting before the end of June, the head of Kiev's delegation Rustem Umerov told reporters after the talks. Moscow has not commented on the proposal.
Russia Today
12 hours ago
- Russia Today
Kiev comments on latest round of negotiations with Moscow
Moscow and Kiev have agreed to exchange the bodies of thousands of fallen soldiers, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced on Monday following the second round of direct talks in Istanbul, Тürkiye. Speaking to the press after the negotiations, Umerov, who led Kiev's delegation, stated that the two sides had discussed a number of topics, including a ceasefire, humanitarian issues, and a potential meeting between Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the question of prisoner exchanges, Umerov said Moscow and Kiev had agreed to 'focus on specific categories, not numbers.' Both sides have reportedly reached an agreement to exchange all seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of war in an 'all-for-all' format. 'The second category is young soldiers aged 18 to 25. Also all for all. We also agreed to return 6,000 for 6,000 bodies of dead soldiers,' Umerov said. Umerov added that Kiev has proposed holding a third round of talks at some point between June 20 and 30. Monday's talks mark the second time Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have met directly to discuss the resolution of the Ukraine conflict since Kiev abandoned peace efforts back in 2022. The first round of the renewed talks was held at the initiative of Putin on May 16.
