Russia, Ukraine Begin Temporary Orthodox Easter Ceasefire
A 32-hour temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for Orthodox Easter commenced Saturday afternoon, even as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the four-year conflict remain stalled.
The Kremlin announced it had ordered a truce from Saturday at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) until the end of Sunday. Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov were instructed to “cease hostilities in all directions during this period”, according to the presidential statement.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had “repeatedly stated” it was ready for a ceasefire over Easter and was willing to reciprocate the Russian move.
The temporary pause comes as negotiations aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II have been derailed by the Middle East war. Both sides previously observed a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter last year.
Hours before the truce took effect, authorities in Ukraine’s southern Odessa region reported two people killed and two wounded in Russian strikes. Overnight Friday, attacks in central Poltava and northeastern Sumy regions killed two and wounded approximately 15 others, regional authorities said. The Ukrainian Air Force stated Russia launched 128 drones against the country overnight Thursday.
Several rounds of US-led talks have failed to bring the warring parties closer to agreement, with Washington’s attention now focused on Iran. Negotiations remain deadlocked, as Moscow demands territorial and political concessions that Zelensky has ruled out as tantamount to capitulation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russia had discussed the ceasefire with Ukraine or the United States in advance, stating it was not linked to negotiations to end the war.
The conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee. Fighting has reached a near standstill, with Russia making small territorial gains at significant cost. However, Kyiv recently pushed back in the southeast, and Russian advances have slowed since late 2025, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts attributed the slowdown to Ukrainian counterattacks, Russia being banned from SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, and Moscow’s efforts to block Telegram. The situation remains unfavourable for Ukraine in the Donetsk region towards Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, per ISW.
Moscow occupies just over 19 percent of Ukrainian territory, most seized during the first weeks of the full-scale invasion.