Recently, Russian President Vladmir Putin has called a temporary truce and has declared a 72-hour Ceasefire in Ukraine, beginning May 8 to May 10, to coincide with Victory Day celebrations in Russia. The ceasefire is intended to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which Russia commemorates as Victory Day.
Ukraine has been fighting against Russia since February of 2014. Following Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Due to the recent news of this unexpected Ceasefire this has made Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy very weary, and suggests that this may be a tactic to create a “soft atmosphere” ahead of time.
Russia’s main purpose for the attack on Ukraine and its annexation of the southeast is due to economic interests, by controlling lithium deposits in the Donbas and Ukraine’s grain wealth. This would give Russia a “monopoly on the world market.” It’s been three years since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia still occupies roughly 20 percent of the country after gaining over four thousand square kilometers of territory in 2024. Russia continues to bombard Ukrainian cities, while Ukraine maintains drone attacks on Russian ships and Military vehicles. Since January 2022, Ukraine has received almost $407 billion in aid, including over $118 billion from the US. Fighting and air strikes have inflicted over 40,000 civilian casualties, while 3.7 million people are internally displaced. Putin’s Ceasefire still dispositions the Ukrainian President as to whether they should let their guard down or keep their guns up to protect their territory.
