Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a brief Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin introduced Saturday, as each Russia and Ukraine mentioned they exchanged masses of prisoners of warfare with mediation from the United Arab Emirates.
“Out of humanitarian concerns, Russia is pointing out an Easter ceasefire from 6:00 p.m. [Moscow time] lately till middle of the night Sunday into Monday. I’m ordering all battle operations to be halted all through this era,” Putin mentioned in a televised assembly with Leader of the Normal Team of workers Valery Gerasimov.
“On the similar time, our forces will have to stay in a position to answer any ceasefire violations or provocations via the enemy, in addition to to any competitive movements,” the Kremlin chief added.
About an hour later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky looked as if it would brush aside Moscow’s Easter truce, pronouncing that Russian defense force have been launching air assaults on his nation proper because the introduced pause in hostilities used to be intended to start.
“As for but every other try via Putin to play with human lives — at this second, air raid signals are spreading throughout Ukraine.. At 5:15 p.m., Russian assault drones have been detected in our skies,” Zelensky wrote on X. “Shahed drones in our skies disclose Putin’s true perspective towards Easter and towards human lifestyles.”
Ukrainian Overseas Minister Andrii Sybiha used to be additionally essential of Russia’s Easter truce and referred to as on Moscow to comply with the entire, 30-day ceasefire that U.S. officers proposed all through talks in Saudi Arabia final month.
“Sadly, we’ve got had a protracted historical past of [Putin’s] statements now not matching his movements,” Sybiha wrote on X. “We all know his phrases can’t be depended on and we can take a look at movements, now not phrases.”
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Russian Forces As regards to Totally Freeing Kursk Area, Army Says
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In a while after the Kremlin introduced the Easter ceasefire, Russia’s Protection Ministry showed it won Putin’s order and famous that the truce can be “seen via the Russian Joint Staff of Forces, supplied it’s reciprocated via the Kyiv regime.”
The Protection Ministry additionally mentioned it exchanged 246 Ukrainian prisoners of warfare for a similar selection of captured Russian infantrymen. “As a gesture of goodwill,” an extra 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs have been transferred in trade for 15 wounded Russian infantrymen, the ministry added.
Zelensky later showed the switch, pronouncing 277 Ukrainian servicemen have been launched. He posted pictures and a video of the warriors after returning house from captivity.
All over Saturday’s televised assembly within the Kremlin, Gerasimov advised Putin that all six Russian army groupings are lately advancing alongside 11 fronts in jap and southern Ukraine.
He additionally claimed that 99.5% of the Kursk area has been “liberated,” including that Russian forces persevered counteroffensive operations to transparent the border area of Ukrainian forces.
“The primary a part of the [Kursk] area’s territory, the place the invasion happened, has now been liberated. That is 1,260 sq. kilometers,” Gerasimov mentioned.
Previous within the day, Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned its troops had captured the second-to-last village within the Kursk area nonetheless held via Ukrainian forces, coming simply weeks after Moscow staged a wonder assault in the important thing border the city of Sudzha.
Our individuals are house—one of the crucial highest items of reports that may be. Any other 277 warriors have returned house from Russian captivity.
The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Nationwide Guard of Ukraine, the State Particular Shipping Provider, and the border guards. They defended… percent.twitter.com/bm4OF80o7o
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2025
Whilst now not addressing the Russian army’s declare without delay, Zelensky mentioned his most sensible commander advised him that Ukrainian forces stay in regulate of a few portions of the border area.
“Nowadays, our forces persevered their task at the territory of the Kursk area and are retaining their positions. Within the Belgorod area, our warriors have complex and expanded our zone of regulate,” he wrote on X.
Russia’s Easter ceasefire announcement and the prisoner trade got here an afternoon after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to again out of negotiations to finish the warfare in Ukraine except Moscow and Kyiv confirmed a willingness to make growth towards peace within the coming days.
On Friday, the Kremlin mentioned a 30-day pause in moves towards Ukraine’s power infrastructure — the one notable concession Trump has to this point controlled to protected from Moscow — had expired.
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