Putin declares ceasefire in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (April 9, 2026) declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday.

Mr. Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting 4 p.m. (local time) Saturday (April 11, 2026) and lasting until the end of Sunday (April 11, 2026).

Mr. Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a fifth year.