Overview
- The Kremlin, in a Thursday announcement, set a truce from 4 p.m. on April 11 to the end of April 12 and told Russian troops to halt operations in all directions while staying ready to repel provocations.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine will act accordingly after the order, noting he had earlier proposed an Easter pause on strikes against energy infrastructure through U.S. intermediaries.
- Russia said it assumes Ukraine will follow suit and named Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and General Valery Gerasimov to enforce the stand-down across the front.
- Past holiday pauses collapsed quickly, with both sides accusing each other of violations, which fuels caution about how long any lull will hold.
- Analysts expect fighting to resume after the holiday unless both sides extend the pause, though the break could still offer brief relief for civilians and space for limited humanitarian work.