Ukraine strikes Russian supply lines near Mariupol; Russia agrees to three-day ceasefire

Ukrainian forces are reconnoitering and interdicting Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs) in and near occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, approximately 105 kilometers from the frontline, as part of an intensifying mid-range strike campaign, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Ukraine and Russia agreed to a three-day ceasefire from May 9 to 11, coinciding with Russia's May 9 Victory Day parade and a planned prisoner of war exchange. Russia continued to threaten retaliatory strikes against Kyiv City ahead of the ceasefire announcement.

A senior Kremlin official explicitly stated that the Kremlin demands Ukrainian forces withdraw from the remainder of Donetsk Oblast as a precondition for a ceasefire – a battlefield objective that Russian forces have thus far failed to achieve. ISW assessed that Russian forces are performing worse on the battlefield in spring 2026 than when the Kremlin emphasized its demand for Donetsk Oblast in 2025.

In other battlefield developments, Ukrainian forces recently advanced in the Slovyansk direction and in the Hulyaipole direction. Russian forces likely do not maintain positions in Kupyansk after struggling for months to support a small and isolated group of servicemembers that infiltrated into the city.

Ukrainian forces continued their long-range strike campaign against Russian defense, oil, and transportation infrastructure. Russian forces launched 67 drones toward Ukraine overnight.