Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for Easter, set to last from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.
The ceasefire was declared based on humanitarian considerations, with Putin instructing that all military actions be halted during this period.
The Russian leader, speaking at a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, said, “I order that all military actions be stopped for this period.” He added that he expected the Ukrainian side to follow Russia’s example. However, Putin also emphasized that Russian forces must remain ready to respond to any violations of the truce or provocations from Ukraine, warning of potential aggressive actions.
The announcement coincided with reports from Russia’s Defense Ministry claiming that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian troops from one of their last remaining strongholds in Russia’s Kursk region. Russia reportedly took control of the village of Oleshnya, located on the border with Ukraine. However, the Associated Press was unable to verify the claim, and there was no immediate response from Ukrainian officials.
Meanwhile, Russian forces continued to fight to expel Ukrainian forces from the village of Gornal, located 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Oleshnya, with fierce fighting reported in the area, according to Russian news agency TASS.
In addition to ground actions, Russian forces launched a wave of attacks with 87 drones and decoys overnight, according to Ukraine’s air force. The Ukrainian military reported intercepting 33 of these drones and downing another 36, likely due to electronic jamming. Russian attacks also caused significant damage in the Odesa and Sumy regions, setting off fires in farms and residential areas. Fortunately, no casualties were reported from these incidents.
On the air defense front, Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported shooting down two Ukrainian drones overnight, adding to the ongoing exchange of aerial assaults between the two sides.
While the Easter ceasefire may provide a brief respite in the conflict, the situation on the ground remains tense, with military actions continuing to shape the outcome of ongoing territorial battles.
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