Vladimir Putin ordered a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter on the evening of April 9, 2026. According to the Kremlin, Russian forces are to halt combat operations from 4:00 p.m. on April 11 until the end of April 12. Orders were given to Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. At the same time, the military was told to be ready to respond to possible “provocations” and “aggressive actions” by the other side.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had previously proposed an Easter truce himself and that Kyiv was ready for reciprocal steps. He said people needed an Easter without threats and with real movement toward peace. Back on March 30, ahead of Catholic Easter, he had spoken of readiness for a ceasefire, but on March 31 the Kremlin said it had not seen a clearly formulated initiative.
After that, Zelensky said, Russia continued its attacks. On April 1, Russian drones struck Ukraine, including Lutsk, where, according to the Ukrainian president, food warehouses and a Nova Poshta terminal were destroyed and an apartment building was damaged. Despite this, on April 3 Zelensky confirmed that the proposal for an Easter ceasefire remained in force.
Experts interviewed by Novaya-Europe said the new ceasefire looked less like a humanitarian gesture than a pause advantageous to Russia. Military analyst and former SBU officer Ivan Stupak said previous truces had only partially reduced fire intensity and were used by both sides for rotations, ammunition deliveries and strengthening positions.
Alexander Kovalenko, a military and political observer with the Information Resistance group, said the pause would make it possible to evacuate the dead and move fresh units to the front more safely. In his view, Moscow could also use the ceasefire for propaganda purposes, portraying Putin as a peacemaker while demanding Ukraine observe the truce and preserving room for its own maneuvers.
Retired Ukrainian colonel Roman Svitan said a short ceasefire benefits the attacking side more. In his view, the Russian army would be able to bring up reserves and prepare for new assaults, including with May 9 in mind. Analysts do not rule out that after Easter Moscow may propose another ceasefire for the May holidays in order to build up forces on the hottest sections of the front.