Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6pm Moscow time on Saturday to midnight following Easter Sunday.
“Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 6pm to midnight on Sunday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce. I order that all military actions be stopped for this period,” Putin said at a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the Kremlin’s Press Service quoted him as saying.
“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example. At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions,” Putin said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said it had given instructions on the ceasefire to all group commanders in the area of the “special military operation” – the Kremlin’s term for the war.
Russian troops will adhere to the ceasefire provided it is “mutually respected” by Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.
