Russia's Putin declares a ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

Source: Scripps News/AP

Posted 4:16 PM, Apr 09, 2026


Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.

Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday.

Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.

There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s announcement. Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

Read more: https://www.scrippsnews.com/world/europe/russias-putin-declares-a-ceasefire-in-ukraine-for-orthodox-easter