Overview
- Putin announced Thursday a pause in fighting from 4 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to the end of Sunday, framing it as an Easter ceasefire.
- The Kremlin ordered Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and General Valery Gerasimov to halt combat in all directions while keeping troops ready to repel any provocations.
- Zelenskyy said Ukraine would act accordingly after weeks of urging a holiday truce, including a proposal to stop strikes on energy sites passed to Moscow through the United States.
- Hours after the announcement, the Dnipropetrovsk governor reported Russian artillery and drone attacks that killed two civilians, raising doubts the pause will hold.
- Talks toward a broader deal have stalled as U.S. attention shifts to the Middle East, and last year’s Easter pause collapsed with both sides accusing each other of violations.