Russia's president announces Orthodox Easter ceasefire with Ukraine, Kremlin says

Published on 09/04/2026 - 21:29 GMT+2

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire with Ukraine for the duration of the Orthodox Easter holidays, the Kremlin said on Thursday night, after Kyiv also proposed a pause in hostilities.

"By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief...V.V. Putin, in connection with the approaching Orthodox feast of Easter (the Resurrection of Christ), a ceasefire is declared from 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on 11 April until the end of the day on 12 April 2026," the Kremlin's statement said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously signalled Kyiv's openness to a potential Easter truce.

Easter falls on 12 April according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia.

Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.