War in Ukraine: Putin orders easter ceasefire
Russia has declared an Easter truce set to begin at 6:00 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 and end at midnight on April 21, totaling 30 hours.
The ceasefire was announced today by Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting with the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov. Moscow expressed hope that Kyiv would follow suit and also halt hostilities. According to Putin, Ukraine’s response will reveal the sincerity of its desire—and its ability—to engage in peace talks.
Russian forces have been instructed to remain prepared to repel any attacks should Ukraine violate the Easter ceasefire. Moscow considers such a scenario likely, noting that the energy strike moratorium it declared on March 18 for a period of 30 days has already been breached over 100 times by Kyiv, while Russia claims to have fully respected it. Should Ukraine violate the Easter truce, Russian troops must be ready to respond “immediately and decisively.”
“The ceasefire is being implemented for humanitarian purposes and will be observed by the Russian joint armed group, provided it is also respected by the Kyiv regime,” the Russian Ministry of Defense stated in an official release.
This marks the second ceasefire since the start of the “special military operation.” The first was announced in 2023, lasting from noon on January 6 to midnight on January 7, across the entire front line to mark Christmas. That truce was not honored by Kyiv, a move the Kremlin described as a “cynical and inexplicable response.”
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