Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,169 | Russia-Ukraine war News

Here is where things stand on Thursday, May 8:

Fighting

• A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany came into effect at midnight, Moscow time (21:00 GMT, Wednesday). Ukraine has not committed to abide by the ceasefire, proposing a 30-day cessation in fighting instead.

• Russian aircraft launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning despite the ceasefire, Ukraine’s air force said in a post on Telegram. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

• Apart from the Ukrainian air force’s statement about Russia launching guided bombs, there were no other reports of attacks on Ukrainian cities early on Thursday.

•  Russian forces shot down 12 Ukrainian drones approaching Moscow, the capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said on Wednesday. Russia’s aviation watchdog said two airports – the Zhukovsky airport in the Moscow region and the main airport in Kaluga – were temporarily closed.

Politics and diplomacy

• Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow had never opposed a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian state-run news agencies reported on Wednesday, after United States envoy Keith Kellogg said Russian President Vladimir Putin may be obstructing a comprehensive peace deal.

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address on Wednesday that he stood by an offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire. “We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Zelenskyy said.
•  US Vice President JD Vance said during an appearance at the Munich Security Conference that Russia was “asking for too much” in its initial offer of a peace deal.

Economy

• In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Ukraine’s Central Bank governor, Andriy Pyshnyy, said Kyiv is considering a shift away from the US dollar. Potential accession to the European Union and “the probability of global-trade fragmentation”, among other reasons, are forcing the central bank to review whether the euro should be the reference currency for Ukraine’s hryvnia, Pyshnyy was quoted as saying.