Russia Declares 32 Hours Ceasefire For Orthodox Easter.

Moscow; April 2026: Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered for a 32 hours ceasefire with Ukraine on the occasion of Orthodox Easter, thereby directing the Minister of Defence Andrey Belousov and the Chief of the General Staff General Valery Gerasimov to halt combat operations in all areas for this period.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “By decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, a ceasefire has been declared ahead of the Orthodox Easter – from 16:00 hours on April 11 until 02:00 hours of April 12, 2026”.

The statement further added, “Russian troops are to remain ready to repel any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions on its part. We proceed from the assumption that the Ukrainian side will follow Russia’s example”.

This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had proposed a ceasefire for Easter. Zelensky, awhile addressing a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers on March 31, have said, “We have proposed a ceasefire for the Easter holidays. We hope that the United States will support this proposition. And we are waiting for a response from Russia. Tomorrow, I will speak with the American team, including on this issue. We hope for results. Results are needed for everyone”. Days later, Zelensky criticised Russia for not agreeing to the ceasefire, stating that “nothing is sacred” for them, calling for strong actions to curb Moscow’s ability to fight the war.

“We have repeatedly offered Russia a ceasefire at least for Easter. But for them, all times are alike and there nothing is sacred. If Russia can afford this war, it will not choose peace willingly. Only significant financial losses force Russia to consider a scenario of abandoning this war”, he said.

This is not the first time a holiday ceasefire has been declared. Last Easter, Putin called a similar 30-hour pause, and it collapsed almost immediately. Earlier, in 2022 – The European Union had supported the UN secretary-general’s appeal to cease hostilities in Ukraine during the Orthodox Easter celebration. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called for a four-day humanitarian pause in Ukraine beginning on Holy Thursday and running through Orthodox Easter Sunday on April 24, and appealed to the sides to the conflict to “open a window for dialogue and peace”.

“We do, of course, support the call from the UN secretary general and we in the EU would repeat our call to have all military operations and, indeed, the Russian aggression brought to a halt, and not only for Easter but forever”, Stano had informed in a briefing, adding that there are “no reasons to not cease hostilities now and permanently”.

A humanitarian pause suggested by the UN Secretary General entails launching humanitarian corridors for the civilians to leave the embattled areas of Ukraine and enabling humanitarian convoys to reach the cities of Donetsk, Luhansk, Mariupol and Kherson.

Meanwhile, as of now – Ukraine and Russia continue to fight after the US-mediated talks have stalled, with no real headway towards peace. Russia continues to claim the territory it has gained during the conflict, and Zelenskyy remains adamant not to concede the land and push for more assured security arrangements.

Team Maverick.