Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a shock Easter ceasefire in Ukraine.
He’s ordered a halt to military activity from 6 pm Moscow time on Saturday until midnight Sunday. But just hours after the announcement, Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks had continued, casting doubt on the sincerity.
Putin orders 30-hour ceasefire for Easter
On Saturday, April 19, during a televised meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Putin stated:
“Based on humanitarian considerations … the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period.” (Cited by Reuters)
He added:
“We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops should be prepared to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations by the enemy, any aggressive actions.”
Ukraine says fighting never stopped
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the ceasefire as untruthful. On Saturday evening, he said in a post on X:
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided. Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow. We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything. Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally — responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response.”
Airstrikes and drone attacks follow Easter ceasefire statement
Shortly after Putin’s announcement – less than an hour before the ceasefire was due to begin – air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv.
On Telegram, Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Kherson’s regional military administration, stated:
“Unfortunately, we do not observe any ceasefire. The shelling continues and civilians are under attack again.” (Cited by CNN)
He said a high-rise building had caught fire in the Dniprovskyi district of Kherson after drone attacks and added that the villages of Urozhayne and Stanislav were also struck.
Public mistrust and previous truce failures between Russia and Ukraine
Many Ukrainians remain sceptical of Russia’s intentions. Kyiv resident Tetiana Solovei told Reuters:
“This man is not capable of reaching any sort of a deal. He does not know how to do that. Tonight, in Ukraine and especially in Kyiv, we expect missiles. There will be no ceasefire.”
Ukraine previously rejected a similar temporary ceasefire in January 2023 during Orthodox Christmas, believing it to be a cover for Russia to regroup militarily.
Despite the ongoing violence, a large prisoner swap took place today, April 19. Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed, “277 captured Ukrainian soldiers were returned home.”
Russia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement:
“246 captured Ukrainian soldiers [were exchanged] for the same number of Russian troops,” adding that “as a ‘gesture of goodwill’ Russia also exchanged 31 wounded Ukrainian troops for 15 wounded Russian servicemen”, as reported by CNN.
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