KYIV — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, following repeated calls by Kyiv for a pause in hostilities over the holiday period.
The ceasefire would start at 4 p.m. on Saturday and last until the end of Sunday, the day Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, the Kremlin said in a statement late Thursday.
“The commander in chief ordered a stop to military actions in all directions for that period of time,” the Kremlin said, adding that it has expectations the Ukrainian side would follow the example of Russia. “At the same time, the troops have to be ready to prevent possible provocations from the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions,” it said.
Ukraine has called for an Easter ceasefire for weeks, and even proposed an energy ceasefire, offering to stop striking Russia’s oil depots if Moscow stops attacks on the Ukrainian energy grid.