Moscow –

Russian President Vladimir Putin's order for a three-day truce with Ukraine took effect Thursday, a move the Kremlin said would "test" Kyiv's readiness for peace but that Ukraine has slammed as a farce.

It was not immediately clear whether either side was observing the ceasefire, even with world leaders — including China's Xi Jinping, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Serbia's Aleksandar Vucic — in Moscow for commemorations of the end of World War II.

Putin unilaterally ordered the move to coincide with Moscow's Victory Day parade on Friday. Ukraine never agreed to the proposal, has dismissed it as theatrics and called instead for a 30-day ceasefire.