Forty-four Nobel Prize laureates have sent an open letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky, calling for a temporary halt to hostilities. The authors of the appeal are proposing a pause that would allow the evacuation of wounded soldiers from combat areas and the removal of bodies from the battlefield.

The letter says the widespread use of unmanned aerial vehicles has made it effectively impossible for the sides to safely evacuate the wounded. According to the laureates, the relevant provisions of the Geneva Conventions are not being observed, while evacuation teams attempting to retrieve the injured and the dead come under fire.

The authors said the path to peace can begin in different ways, and proposed starting with a ceasefire to collect bodies, especially as abnormal heat approaches, and to rescue wounded servicemen, many of whom remain without help for days or even weeks.

They also appealed to IT companies, suggesting that they help monitor compliance with the ceasefire. The letter says video surveillance systems could be used for that purpose. The laureates expressed hope that people in both countries would support such a humanitarian step.

The last ceasefire in the combat zone was announced for Victory Day, from 00:00 on May 8 to May 10, 2026. The Russian Defence Ministry said Russian troop groupings strictly observed the ceasefire during that period and remained in their previously held positions. At the same time, the ministry said Russian forces responded in kind to actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, more than 30,000 ceasefire violations by Ukraine were recorded at the time.