Russian service members march in columns past an honour guard during a military parade on Victory Day, which marks the 79th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov The ministry added that it counted on the Ukrainian side to follow suit and that Russia would launch a massive retaliatory missile strike on the centre of Kyiv if Ukraine attempted to disrupt Victory Day celebrations.
"Despite the capabilities at our disposal, Russia has previously refrained from such actions on humanitarian grounds," it said in a statement, adding however that it was ready to act if the ceasefire was not respected.
"We are warning the civilian population of Kyiv and staff at foreign diplomatic missions of the need to leave the city in a timely manner," it said.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Susan Fenton)