Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a short lived Easter ceasefire in Ukraine beginning Saturday, citing humanitarian causes, as Russia and Ukraine swapped lots of of captured troopers within the largest alternate since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began over three years in the past.
In line with the Kremlin, the ceasefire will final from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.
“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 mentioned at a gathering with Chief of the Basic Employees Valery Gerasimov, in a video shared by the Kremlin’s Press Service.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referred to as the ceasefire “another attempt by Putin to play with human lives.” He wrote on X that “air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” and “Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”
Largest POW alternate thus far
The 2 sides in the meantime exchanged lots of of POWs on Saturday. Russia’s Ministry of Protection mentioned that 246 Russian service members have been returned from territory managed by Kyiv, and that “as a gesture of goodwill” 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs have been transferred in alternate for 15 wounded Russian troopers in want of pressing medical care.
Zelenskyy mentioned that 277 Ukrainian “warriors” have returned residence from Russian captivity.
Putin’s ceasefire announcement got here after U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday mentioned negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither facet is “playing” him in his push to finish the grinding three-year conflict.
Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. could “move on” from making an attempt to safe a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there isn’t any progress within the coming days, after months of efforts have did not convey an finish to the combating.
In January 2023, Putin had ordered his forces in Ukraine to watch a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had stopped wanting stating his forces would reject Putin’s request, however dismissed the Russian transfer as taking part in for time to regroup its invasion forces and put together further assaults.
Russia says its forces are near recapturing Kursk
Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned Saturday its forces pushed Ukrainian troops from the village of Oleshnya, certainly one of their final remaining footholds in Russia’s Kursk area the place the Ukrainians staged a shock incursion final yr.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukrainian forces “continued their activity on the territory of the Kursk region and are holding their positions.”
The Related Press was unable to instantly confirm the declare by Russia.
In line with Russian state information company Tass, Russia remains to be combating to push Ukrainian forces out of the village of Gornal, some 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Oleshnya.
“The Russian military has yet to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of Gornal … in order to completely liberate the Kursk region. Fierce fighting is underway in the settlement,” the company reported, citing Russia safety companies.
Russian and North Korean troopers have practically disadvantaged Kyiv of a key bargaining chip by retaking many of the area, the place Ukrainian troops staged a shock incursion final yr.
In different developments, the Ukrainian air pressure reported that Russia fired 87 exploding drones and decoys within the newest wave of assaults in a single day into Saturday. It mentioned 33 of them have been intercepted and one other 36 have been misplaced, seemingly having been electronically jammed.
Russian assaults broken farms within the Odesa area and sparked fires within the Sumy area in a single day, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service mentioned Saturday. Fires have been contained, and no casualties have been reported.
Russia’s Ministry of Protection, in the meantime, mentioned its air protection methods shot down two Ukrainian drones in a single day into Saturday.
