Putin announces "Easter ceasefire"

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary halt to hostilities in the war against Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.

This is evidenced by a decision published on the Kremlin’s website.

The Kremlin stated that the ceasefire would be in effect from 16:00 Moscow time on April 11 until the end of April 12, 2026.

According to the statement, Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to suspend combat operations on all fronts during this period.

At the same time, Russian forces have been ordered to remain in full combat readiness.

The Russian side also said it expects Ukraine to take similar steps.

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As Ukrinform reports, on March 31, the Kremlin was skeptical about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal for an Easter ceasefire in the war, stating that it had not seen detailed proposals on the matter.