Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering his forces to end hostilities at 6pm Moscow time on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
Putin said he assumed Ukraine would follow Russia’s example but told the chief of Russia’s general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to ready Russian troops to repel any violations of the truce by Ukrainian forces.
“Based on humanitarian considerations … the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period,” Putin said at a meeting with Gerasimov, the Kremlin’s Press Service quoted him as saying.
BREAKING: Russia announces unilateral Easter ceasefire . One step closer to peace. ??? Kirill A. Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) April 19, 2025
The ceasefire will therefore cover Easter Sunday, the height of the Christian calendar, which falls on Sunday this year for all Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Christians.
The Russian defence ministry said it had given instructions on the ceasefire to all group commanders in the area of the “special military operation,” the Kremlin’s term for the war.
Russian troops will adhere to the ceasefire provided it is “mutually respected” by Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.
“One step closer to peace,” senior Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev said in a post on X.
Putin’s announcement came after US President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” in his push to end the grinding three-year war.
Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the US may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.
In January 2023, Putin had ordered his forces in Ukraine to observe a unilateral 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in 2023 stopped short of stating his forces would reject Putin’s request but dismissed the Russian move as playing for time to regroup its invasion forces and prepare additional attacks.
Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukrainian air defence units were repelling an attack by Russian drones, saying that showed the Kremlin’s true attitude to Easter and the lives of people.
Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday its forces took control of the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region of Russia on the border with Ukraine.
According to Russian state news agency Tass, Russia is still fighting to push Ukrainian forces out of the village of Gornal, 11km south of Oleshnya.
“The Russian military has yet to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of Gornal … in order to completely liberate the Kursk region. Fierce fighting is underway in the settlement,” the agency reported, citing Russia security agencies.
Separately, the Russian defence ministry said Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner of war swap of 246 prisoners each on Saturday, mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
with AP and DPA
https://thewest.com.au/news/conflict/putin-declares-unilateral-easter-ceasefire-in-ukraine-c-18426983
