Russia-Ukraine Truce Begins at Orthodox Easter Time

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire on Thursday, aligning it with Orthodox Easter. This truce follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal more than a week ago.

Both parties have agreed to respect this temporary ceasefire lasting 32 hours, from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening, as per the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Zelensky stated on X that Ukraine will strictly adhere to the truce and respond in kind if Russia violates it. The Ukrainian army also confirmed readiness to immediately retaliate against any Russian aggression.

Before the ceasefire commenced, Russia launched at least 160 drones at Ukraine, resulting in four deaths and dozens of injuries across the east and south. The Odesa region was among those hardest hit, with two fatalities and damage to civilian infrastructure reported.

Ukrainian drones also caused a fire at an oil depot and damaged apartment buildings in Russia’s Krasnodar region.

Despite these incidents, skepticism remains about the truce’s longevity. Last year’s Easter ceasefire was similarly broken due to violations from both sides.

Despite this tension, 175 prisoners of war were exchanged on Saturday, according to officials. This prisoner exchange is one area where cooperation exists between the warring parties.

US-led peace talks aimed at ending the conflict have stalled in recent weeks due to the Iran war. Progress towards a peace deal has been slow, with disagreements over territorial issues being a significant hurdle.

Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along current front lines, but Russia insists on Ukraine ceding all Donetsk region territory it currently controls – a demand Kyiv finds unacceptable.

The Kremlin denied any prior discussion of the ceasefire with Ukraine or the US and stated that it is not linked to negotiations for ending the war. The ongoing conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, making it Europe’s deadliest since World War II.

After four years, front-line fighting has nearly halted. Russia has made small territorial gains at a high cost, but Ukraine recently managed to push back Russian forces in the southeast, slowing their advances since late 2025. Analysts attribute this slowdown partly to Russia being banned from using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites and Moscow’s efforts to block Telegram messaging app access. However, the situation remains unfavorable for Ukraine in the Donetsk region near Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.