“By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire is declared in connection with the upcoming Orthodox holiday of Easter,” the RBC website quoted the Kremlin as saying.
According to the Kremlin, Minister of Defense Andrej Bělousov and Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov were instructed to stop fighting in all directions for this period.
“Russia expects Ukraine to follow suit. Russian troops are instructed to be ready to stop possible provocations from the enemy,” reports RBC.
“Ukraine has repeatedly stated that we are ready for symmetrical steps. This year we proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holidays and we will act accordingly,” wrote Ukrainian President Zelensky on his profile on the X network.
“People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia also has a chance not to return to attacks after Easter,” Zelenskyy called for the continuation of the truce even after the holidays.
He proposed the Easter truce to Moscow at the end of March. The Kremlin rejected it at the time, saying that Kyiv did not formulate the offer clearly and that it prefers a comprehensive peace agreement.
“From Zelensky’s statement that we read, there is no clearly formulated initiative for an Easter truce,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that the Kiev regime is now trying to achieve “any truce, no matter what it’s called.”
The last time Putin declared a truce was during last year’s Orthodox Easter. Both sides then accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
Catholics and Protestants celebrated Easter in 2026 on April 5 according to the Gregorian calendar. Orthodox Easter will be celebrated on April 12, because Eastern Christians use the Julian calendar.
