Why Is Putin So DESPERATE for 3 Day CEASEFIRE... Ukraine Should REFUSE!

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Summary

The video highlights Vladimir Putin's proposal for a three-day ceasefire during the war in Ukraine, ostensibly for humanitarian reasons to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War II. However, it argues that this ceasefire is merely a strategic ploy by Russia to reinforce its defenses and evacuate casualties while framing Ukraine and President Zelenskyy as the aggressors. It outlines that past ceasefire attempts have been violated by Russia, suggesting that Ukraine should be wary of this deceptive tactic. Ultimately, the video concludes that Ukraine should not agree to the ceasefire as it's more beneficial to Russia than to Ukraine.

Highlights

Putin's proposed ceasefire aligns with the Soviet Union’s victory anniversary. 🎉
The ceasefire is seen as a way for Russia to strengthen its military position. 🛡️
Ukraine and its allies are skeptical of Russia’s intentions. 🤔
Historical precedents show Russia's violation of past ceasefires. 📜
Zelenskyy criticizes Putin’s attempts as manipulative. 🎯

Key Takeaways

Putin's ceasefire proposal is a strategic ploy, not a genuine offer. 🕵️
Russia aims to reinforce its defenses and evacuate casualties during the ceasefire. 💂
Past ceasefire attempts have been violated by Russia. 🚫
Putin aims to frame Ukraine as the aggressor if the ceasefire is broken. 🎭
Ukraine should refuse the ceasefire to maintain its current momentum. 🛡️

Overview

In an intriguing twist, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, coinciding with the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II. Ostensibly for humanitarian reasons, this move is widely perceived as a strategic maneuver to buy time for the Russian military to regroup. Critics argue that this is just another ploy by Putin to reinforce Russian forces without genuinely seeking peace.

History tells us that Russia's ceasefire proposals often come with strings attached and are framed to paint Ukraine as the aggressor if they retaliate. Past instances have shown that Russia frequently violates these ceasefires, further sowing distrust among Ukraine and its allies. This pattern suggests that Ukraine should be cautious about agreeing to such terms.

President Zelenskyy’s administration has remained firm in its resolve, seeing through Russia’s tactics and refusing the ceasefire. With Ukraine gaining ground and Russia facing increasing military losses, the Ukrainian stance is clear – they won’t fall for what they perceive as Putin’s manipulations. This ongoing tension only fuels the fire of the conflict, making it unlikely that peace is on the horizon anytime soon.

Chapters

00:00 - 02:30: Putin's Desperate Ceasefire Proposal Russian President Vladimir Putin appears desperate for the ongoing war in Ukraine to cease temporarily, but not entirely, as this would align with his intention to capture the entire country. Putin has requested a three-day ceasefire, which may be a strategic move to bolster his military forces and potentially deceive Ukraine into halting hostilities at a critical moment. This proposal might indicate Russia's military struggles more than Putin is willing to acknowledge. On April 28, Russia announced a ceasefire from May 8 to May 11, as reported by Militarnyi.
02:30 - 05:00: The Hypocrisy of Russia's Ceasefire Offer The chapter titled 'The Hypocrisy of Russia's Ceasefire Offer' discusses a controversial ceasefire proposed by Russia. The Kremlin announced that Russian soldiers would halt hostilities from midnight on May 8 to May 11. The purpose of this ceasefire is to allow Russians to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. However, this offer is met with immediate skepticism and rejection by Ukraine, which perceives it as insincere given their experience under Russian aggression.
05:00 - 07:30: Past Ceasefire Negotiations and Failures The chapter discusses the history of ceasefire negotiations and their failures, particularly in reference to Russia and Ukraine. It notes the ongoing struggle of Ukraine against Russian aggression and highlights Russia's desire to return to the power dynamics of the Soviet era. The chapter criticizes the notion of allowing Russia to celebrate a ceasefire, given its history of oppression under Soviet rule, and points out the irony in Russia's call for Ukraine to observe the ceasefire. It mentions that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made decisions regarding ceasefires based on what are termed 'humanitarian considerations.'
07:30 - 10:00: Ukraine's Stand Against Russia's Manipulation The chapter titled 'Ukraine's Stand Against Russia's Manipulation' discusses a temporary ceasefire declared by Russia during the 80th anniversary of the victory, from May 7 to May 10-11. The Kremlin states that all hostilities will be suspended during this time and expects Ukraine to adhere to this ceasefire. However, Russia warns that it will respond adequately if Ukraine attempts to attack during this period.
10:00 - 12:30: Russia's Fading Progress in Ukraine The chapter discusses the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, focusing on Russia's attempts to dictate the terms of a ceasefire. It highlights the perceived hypocrisy of Russia's declarations, especially in light of recent diplomatic meetings in Saudi Arabia involving U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. An agreement from these talks led to Ukraine's willingness to engage in a 30-day unilateral ceasefire on the condition of mutual agreement.
12:30 - 15:00: The Desperation Behind the Ceasefire The chapter titled 'The Desperation Behind the Ceasefire' discusses a proposed ceasefire that would have entailed a complete halt to conflict activities, including ground attacks, missile strikes, drone assaults, and naval clashes for a month. However, Russia refused this proposal. Despite public statements from Putin and his officials suggesting openness to the ceasefire, they argued that the proposal did not address the 'root cause' of the Ukraine issue, which is seen by experts as Ukraine's desire for independence. Putin's stance is that Ukraine should not be an independent country.
15:00 - 17:30: Ukraine's Refusal of Putin's Proposal This chapter discusses Ukraine's stance on refusing President Putin's proposal during ceasefire negotiations. Ukraine stands firm on its right to sovereignty and rejects the idea of handing over its territory to Russia as a condition for any ceasefire. Despite discussions, Putin's promises for a ceasefire, particularly concerning energy infrastructure and the Black Sea, have not materialized, with ongoing attacks indicating that negotiations for peace remain unfulfilled.
17:30 - 20:00: Invitation for Public Opinion and Conclusion The chapter discusses the challenges in the negotiations with Russia over the Black Sea ceasefire agreement. It highlights how Russia uses these negotiations to its advantage, as seen by the drone strikes launched by Putin immediately after agreeing to the ceasefire, which never materialized. Moreover, Russia imposed additional conditions, such as lifting U.S. sanctions on financial institutions, including a significant agricultural bank, effectively trying to alter the agreement post-factum.

Why Is Putin So DESPERATE for 3 Day CEASEFIRE... Ukraine Should REFUSE! Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 Russian President Vladimir Putin is desperate for the war in Ukraine to stop. Not altogether. That wouldn’t suit his goal of taking the entire country. Instead, Putin is calling for a three-day ceasefire that he’ll use to reinforce his soldiers and potentially trick Ukraine into stopping the fight at a crucial juncture. By proposing his desperate ceasefire, Russia’s leader may be playing a game with Ukraine – and revealing that his troops are struggling far more than he would like to admit. On April 28, Russia declared that it would engage in a three-day ceasefire lasting from May 8 to May 11. Militarnyi reports that the
00:30 - 01:00 Kremlin claims it will order Russia’s soldiers to cease all hostilities from midnight on May 8, only resuming them again at the same time on May 11. Why? Putin wants to take time out of his brutal invasion of Ukraine so that Russians can celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory in the Great Patriotic War. That’s already enough of a reason for Ukraine to refuse immediately. Ukraine has felt what it’s like to live under
01:00 - 01:30 Soviet oppression, as have many of its neighbors who are now supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. Putin’s invasion even reflects the desire of Russia’s leader to return Europe to how it was during the Soviet era. Allowing Russia to enjoy a ceasefire to celebrate an event that’s an affront to those who fell under Soviet rule. Still, Russia says Ukraine should observe the ceasefire. “By decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Putin, based on humanitarian considerations,
01:30 - 02:00 on the days of the 80th anniversary of the victory from 00:00 on the night of May 7 to 0:00 on the night of May 10 to 11, the Russian side declares a ceasefire,” reads a statement published by the Kremlin. “All hostilities are suspended for this period,” the statement continues. Russia says that it expects Ukraine to “follow this example” while also threatening that it “will respond adequately and effectively” if Ukraine attacks during the ceasefire period.
02:00 - 02:30 Putin is trying to dictate the terms of a ceasefire. Again. And to those who’ve been paying attention over the last couple of months, Russia’s declaration can come off as nothing more than sheer hypocrisy. In the middle of March, delegates from U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s teams met in Saudi Arabia. An agreement resulted from those talks. Ukraine said it would engage in a 30-day unilateral ceasefire against Russia as long as Putin agreed
02:30 - 03:00 to do the same. This would have been a total ceasefire. No ground attacks. No missile strikes, drone assaults, or clashes in the Black Sea. A complete halt to the conflict for a month. Russia refused. Though Putin and his cronies claimed to be open to the idea of a ceasefire, they also claimed the proposal didn’t solve the “root cause” of the Ukraine issue. That root cause, experts note, is Ukraine’s desire to be an independent country. Putin believes Ukraine has no
03:00 - 03:30 right to be a sovereign nation. and it has always and should still belong to Russia. Anything short of handing Ukrainian territory over to Russia wouldn’t be good enough in ceasefire negotiations. Still, Trump kept pushing. Later negotiations led to Putin claiming that he would agree to a ceasefire on all energy infrastructure. That hasn’t happened. Neither has the ceasefire Putin claimed he would agree to in the Black Sea. Attacks are still taking place in that region on both sides, demonstrating how every effort to negotiate a ceasefire in the Ukraine war
03:30 - 04:00 fails. If anything, Russia is simply using these negotiations to try and get more of what it wants. For instance, immediately after agreeing to the Black Sea ceasefire that never happened, Putin launched drone strikes. Russia also claimed that it had extra conditions before that ceasefire could start. Those conditions included the lifting of several U.S. sanctions on financial institutions, including a key agricultural bank. Russia was trying to change the agreement after
04:00 - 04:30 the fact. It failed. No ceasefires are in place and the reality is that Russia doesn’t seem to want a ceasefire. It certainly doesn’t want an extended ceasefire. It added conditions to the Black Sea truce precisely because it wanted to continue conducting strikes from the waterway. That’s according to Zelenskyy, who said on April 6, “This is one of the reasons why Russia is distorting diplomacy, why it is refusing to agree to an unconditional ceasefire – they want to preserve their ability to strike our
04:30 - 05:00 cities and ports from the sea.” Zelenskyy added that Putin has no intention of ending the war. “He wants to preserve the means to escalate it at any moment with even greater force,” Ukraine’s President added. Why does all of this matter? It leads to the obvious question of why Putin wants a ceasefire now after he’s spent so long deflecting and preventing the many ceasefire proposals that have been placed before him. To anybody outside of Russia, there’s a distinct whiff of hypocrisy to the latest Kremlin claims. After refusing so many times before, Russia appears to believe that
05:00 - 05:30 it has the right to simply command Ukraine to observe a ceasefire that Putin puts in place. Why? There’s the reason Russia claims in its announcement to consider. According to Putin, Russia wants a three-day ceasefire for humanitarian reasons. Translation – he wants a few safe days for Russia’s people to celebrate the anniversary of the “Great Patriotic War.” This is the term Russia gives to World War II, with the
05:30 - 06:00 war covering the period from June 1941 to May 1945 when the Soviet Union fought alongside its allies to defeat the Axis powers led by Nazi Germany. The Soviet Union began using the “Great Patriotic War” phrasing both to motivate its population to defend Soviet ideals and as a reference to the “Patriotic War” that took place in Russia in 1812. The fact that these 80th-anniversary celebrations are linked to World War II makes the entire ceasefire situation…complicated.
06:00 - 06:30 Russia can correctly claim that its World War II-related celebrations are valid. It even fought alongside many who oppose it now, including the U.S., U.K., and France during that conflict. If Ukraine attacks d uring the three days of celebration inside Russia, Putin can frame that attack as direct disrespect of a war even larger and more devastating than the one he’s caused in Ukraine. A war in which Ukraine’s allies were involved. Putin could cast Zelenskyy as the bad guy. And that’s precisely one of the things he’s
06:30 - 07:00 aiming to do with the three-day ceasefire he’s declared. Outwardly, Russia claims the ceasefire is for humanitarian reasons. Never mind the fact that Russia would never agree to a similar ceasefire in Ukraine or that it hasn’t called for three days where fighting ends for previous “Great Patriotic War” celebrations. The humanitarian reason is just a smokescreen. Scoring a propaganda victory over Zelenskyy is just one of the three real reasons that Putin wants this ceasefire.
07:00 - 07:30 The other two are coming soon, but first: Putin’s attempts to shine a spotlight on Zelenskyy and cast him as the bad guy in the Ukraine war are nothing new. As recently as late March, Putin was calling for Zelenskyy to be removed from his role as Ukraine’s President. Russia’s leader has also referred to Zelenskyy and his leadership as nazis – drawing parallels to the “Great Patriotic War” celebrations – and has demanded that Zelenskyy make territorial concessions to Russia. Putin also argues that Zelenskyy’s term as President should have ended in May 2024,
07:30 - 08:00 which is when Ukraine would have held new elections were it not for the declaration of martial law that resulted from Putin’s invasion. One Russian diplomat, who spoke to The Moscow Times, framed Putin’s efforts to make Zelenskyy the bad guy as a reflection of Putin’s personal opinions of Ukraine’s leader. Putin “has a personal dislike for Zelenskyy because he dared to publicly challenge him,” the diplomat says. “One of our key goals is that Zelenskyy
08:00 - 08:30 must no longer be in charge of Ukraine. That’s why we are systematically pushing the narrative of his illegitimacy and the need for elections.” Think about what Ukraine breaking the ceasefire Russia is attempting to force on it would mean to that narrative construct. Putin could turn around to his own people and say “Look at what our enemy has done to us during one of Russia’s most important anniversaries.” If he plays his cards right, Putin could use the breaking of this three-day ceasefire as a way to reinforce his support among the Russian people.
08:30 - 09:00 After all, that support is starting to waiver. That may not seem immediately obvious. Putin is such an authoritarian that it’s not easy for everyday Russians to express discontent without risking a negative response. But there are hints. For instance, April 2 saw Japan’s NHK World report on a Levada Center poll of 1,600 Russians. That poll discovered that half of Russians support a 30-day ceasefire, with 41% being opposed. Of the group that supports a ceasefire, 29% say
09:00 - 09:30 they now want a speedy end to the Ukraine war. Putin’s three-day ceasefire proposal is designed to satisfy the slim majority in his country who want a ceasefire. It’s also ammunition he can use when that ceasefire is broken – as likely by Russian hands as Ukrainians – to bolster support for his invasion now that it’s surpassed the three-year mark. And that’s not the only attempt at manipulation Putin is making
09:30 - 10:00 by setting Zelenskyy up as the bad guy. He’s also likely to use the three-day ceasefire to get into President Trump’s good books. Trump has flip-flopped several times on the subject of who caused the Ukraine war and why it’s not coming to an end. On April 15, he seemed to assign much of the blame to Zelenskyy in response to news that Zelenskyy was willing to buy Patriot missiles from the U.S. “You don’t start a war against someone 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles.”
10:00 - 10:30 The words “start a war” are worrying for Ukraine and wonderful news for Russia. They suggest Trump, at least for now, sees Ukraine as the instigator of a conflict that only started because Russia chose to invade. Trump did temper these remarks by assigning blame all over. “And most importantly, you have millions of people dead. Millions of people dead because of three people. I would say three people. Let's say Putin, number one. But let's say Biden who had no idea what the hell he was doing, number two and Zelenskyy.”
10:30 - 11:00 But even that concession won’t mean much to Putin. The fact that Trump assigns any blame at all to Zelenskyy gives Russia’s leader an opening. If Putin can pretend to hold a ceasefire and prompt Ukraine into attacking, Putin could turn Trump’s opinion of Zelenskyy even more sour. And he’d do it using the very mechanism Trump is trying to negotiate as a first step toward peace between Russia and Ukraine. That’s the clever and manipulative side of Putin’s call for a three-day ceasefire, as well as the first of
11:00 - 11:30 the three real reasons why he wants the pause. The other two reasons boil down to one thing: Russia is getting desperate. Putin wants to use the ceasefire to evacuate Russian casualties from Ukraine and reinforce his country’s defensive positions in the country. On the casualty front, the Ukraine war has been far bloodier for Russia than anybody, especially Putin, could have anticipated. According to a Ukrainian financial and statistical portal,
11:30 - 12:00 Russia has lost 950,860 people between when Putin launched his invasion on February 24, 2022, and April 29, 2025. Some quick math tells us that the Ukraine war has been waged for about 1,159 days. Divide the total casualties by that number of days and the result is a daily loss rate of 820. That’s bad enough. But Russia’s losses have accelerated dramatically since the last few months of 2024. For instance, November
12:00 - 12:30 29 saw Russia lose 2,030 troops in a single day. That was a record number that is more than twice the country’s average daily casualty rate. Things haven’t gotten much better since. In January 2025, Ukraine claimed Russia experienced a day where it lost 2,200 of its soldiers in just 24 hours. Fast-forward to the most recent figures we have – which are for April 27 – and we saw a casualty rate of 1,160 troops. Sure, that’s lower than the daily rates from the end of 2024. However, it’s
12:30 - 13:00 still over 300 more losses per day than Russia’s overall average, telling us that Putin is bleeding soldiers in his attempt to take Ukraine. That’s where Putin’s desperation to evacuate comes into play. These casualty figures include Russian soldiers who have been killed, injured, or captured on the Ukrainian battlefield. Given Russia’s massive losses so far, Putin wants to do everything he can to reclaim the injured soldiers
13:00 - 13:30 currently in Ukraine who aren’t receiving medical attention. Those soldiers could end up dying or being captured, meaning they’ll never be sent back onto the battlefield. In short, Putin wants to ensure as few soldiers as possible who are currently injured in Ukraine end up dying. A three-day ceasefire allows Russia to evacuate as many of these injured soldiers as possible. That, in turn, gives Putin a small supply of experienced soldiers to send back into the fight when they’re healed up. Of course, regaining injured Russian soldiers
13:30 - 14:00 isn’t the only reason that Putin is desperate for his three-day ceasefire. Russia’s leader is also being forced to face up to a reality that he never wanted to accept – the tide is turning in Ukraine. Over the last few months, we’ve seen multiple examples of how the momentum of the war is shifting in Ukraine’s favor. Take what happened in Nadiya toward the end of March as an example. A small village in occupied Luhansk, Nadiya was supposed to be a safe haven for Putin’s forces. Russia had already captured it, alongside most of Luhansk, and it should have been able to
14:00 - 14:30 keep hold of the village. Two months went into the Russian capture, meaning Putin sacrificed thousands of soldiers to get Nadiya. In just 30 hours, Russia lost it all. March 23 saw the end of a Ukrainian operation in which Ukraine retook Nadiya. Not only did that waste two months of Russian effort but it also provided Ukraine with a foothold from which it could attack more occupied territory in Ukraine. That’s the last thing that Putin wants. To Russia’s leader, it should be his forces taking more territory in Ukraine.
14:30 - 15:00 There should be no recaptures. The fact that they are demonstrates that Russia is weakening. Putin wants his three-day ceasefire to reinforce Russia’s defenses in occupied Ukraine so he can prepare for future counterattacks. There’s more evidence that Russia is struggling on the ground in Ukraine. Russia’s territorial gains have slowed to a crawl over the last few months. That’s according to both the Institute for the Study of War, or ISW, and the U.K.’s Ministry of Defense, or MoD, both of which released figures in early
15:00 - 15:30 April demonstrating the scale of the Russian slowdown. The ISW says that Russia captured 165 square miles of Ukraine in January. By March, the gains had fallen to just 78 square miles per month. Bear in mind that January was the height of winter in Ukraine, meaning Russia’s troops were fighting through snow and adverse conditions to make their gains. March was a much milder month, yet Russia somehow made less than half of the gains it made in January.
15:30 - 16:00 The MoD’s figures are even more damning. It says that Russia actually only captured 126 square miles of Ukraine in January, with the number dropping to just 55 square miles. No matter which figures are accurate, the reality for Putin remains the same – his forces are slowing down dramatically at a time when he needs to push his perceived advantage. Just as we see when Ukraine regains territory, Russia’s slowdown demonstrates that Putin’s forces are growing weaker by the day. That weakening feeds into Ukraine’s growing momentum.
16:00 - 16:30 Putin needs the three-day ceasefire. Not for any humanitarian reasons. Even the manipulation he might attempt to carry out is a secondary concern. Russia needs to stop fighting so it can reinforce its defenses and resupply its beleaguered troops while evacuating as many of its thousands of injured soldiers as it can. Without the pause, Ukraine can keep pushing, which only makes Russia’s fragile position weaker. That leads to a key question:
16:30 - 17:00 Should Ukraine accept Putin’s offer of a three-day ceasefire? There is a small argument for acceptance. After all, Ukraine also benefits from a pause in hostilities. It can reinforce its own defensive positions, evacuate its wounded, and prepare for whatever Putin brings to the table next. However, those arguments end up being extremely weak when you consider a simple fact: Putin has no intention of observing his three-day ceasefire. The proof? He already broke a similar ceasefire – literally just over a week ago.
17:00 - 17:30 In mid-April, Putin declared that Russia would observe a three-day ceasefire between April 19 and April 21. That ceasefire would allow both Russia and Ukraine to observe Easter without worrying about any sort of hostilities. Zelenskyy was receptive to the offer, saying that Ukraine would act “in a mirror-like way” to whatever Russia did. The truce held up for a short while. Putin used it to evacuate some casualties and reinforce defenses, just as he wants to use this latest
17:30 - 18:00 truce to do. However, Russia did all of this while constantly violating the terms of its own ceasefire. By the end of the Easter period, Ukraine says Russia had conducted 96 assault actions, attempted over 950 first-person view drone strikes, and engaged in 1,882 instances of shelling Ukrainian positions. That amounts to over 2,900 violations that Ukraine says took place over a single day. “In practice, either Putin does not have
18:00 - 18:30 full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war and are only interested in favorable PR coverage,” Zelenskyy raged after the supposed Easter ceasefire, adding. “Now, after Easter, the whole world can clearly see the real issue — the real reason why the hostilities continue. Russia is the source of this war.” Translation – Ukraine knows what Russia’s true intention with its supposed ceasefires is. In May, as it did during Easter,
18:30 - 19:00 Russia will continue its attacks while outwardly claiming to be engaged in a truce. That’s why Ukraine should say “no” to Putin’s offer. Scratch that… Ukraine has already refused. Mere hours after Putin made his three-day ceasefire proposal, Zelenskyy lambasted him for it. “Now, yet again, another attempt at manipulation: for some reason, everyone is supposed to wait until May 8 before ceasing fire – just to provide Putin with silence for his parade.” Zelenskyy’s statement demonstrates that Ukraine is wise
19:00 - 19:30 to Russia’s games. Ukraine won’t even engage in Putin’s false ceasefire. It certainly won’t allow Russia’s leader to hold his parades and complete his desperate evacuation and reinforcement goals. The fighting will continue. And given the way the Ukraine war is going, that can only mean bad things for Putin’s forces. But what do you think about Russia’s three-day ceasefire proposal? Is it genuine? Is there any chance at all that Russia might stop attacking Ukraine for a handful of days in May? Or is this yet another of Putin’s attempts
19:30 - 20:00 to trick Ukraine – and the rest of the world – into believing he wants any form of peace? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and remember to subscribe to The Military Show for more of the latest developments in the Ukraine war and other military conflicts around the globe.