MIRIAM NNOLI 
A three-day ceasefire in Ukraine that was unilaterally declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month has come into effect, as Russia prepares to mark the anniversary of its World War II Victory Day on Friday, May 9.
According to the Russian state media agency, the ceasefire began at midnight local time on Wednesday (5 p.m. ET).
New Telegraph recalls that the Kremlin last month said that Putin ordered all military actions in Ukraine to be suspended from midnight May 8 to midnight May 11 based on humanitarian considerations.
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However, Kyiv rejected the short-term truce when it was first announced. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky called Putin’s announcement a theatrical performance and reiterated his country’s support for an earlier US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, which Russia has rejected.
The three-day period Putin picked for the ceasefire coincides with Russia’s World War II Victory Day commemorations, including a traditional military parade set for Friday, May 9.
The high-profile event is expected to be attended by the leaders of several countries that are friendly with Russia, including China’s Xi Jinping.
As in previous years, it is expected to be used by Putin and his government to peddle propaganda, which falsely frames Moscow’s current aggression against Ukraine as a fight against a “Nazi” regime in Kyiv.
