The situation at a glance
Easter ceasefire: A short breather in the Ukraine war?
Updated April 10, 2026 – 5:00 amReading time: 3 minutes
Ukraine has repeatedly proposed a ceasefire over Orthodox Easter. According to reports from Moscow, the weapons will now rest for almost a day and a half. Does this bring an end to the war?
On the occasion of Orthodox Easter this weekend, the weapons in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine should be suspended for a moment. Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire from Saturday afternoon throughout Sunday, the Kremlin announced. In Kiev, President Volodymyr Zelenskyj confirmed the plan and wrote on social media: “We have proposed a ceasefire over the Easter holidays this year and will act accordingly.” Orthodox Christians in Ukraine and Russia will not celebrate Easter until next Sunday (April 12).
Defense Minister Andrei Beloussov and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov have been ordered to stop fighting in all directions for the period of the ceasefire, the Kremlin said. The troops should be ready to respond to possible provocations, it said.
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Zelensky, on the other hand, said that people need an Easter without threats and a real movement towards peace, and that Russia has the chance not to return to attacks even after Easter. Ukraine has repeatedly said that it is ready to take mirror-image steps. Since the end of March, Zelensky has repeatedly proposed a ceasefire over Easter.
Ukraine has been defending itself against a large-scale Russian invasion with Western help for more than four years. There have already been several attempts to silence the weapons for a limited time. Last year, Putin announced a 30-hour ceasefire over Easter and there was also a ceasefire over the World War Remembrance Days in May. However, the Kremlin chief rejected a Christmas ceasefire. In the past, both sides accused each other of violations.
While Kiev sees a ceasefire as a step closer to ending the war, Moscow wants to resolve conflict issues first. Among other things, Russia is demanding that Ukraine withdraw its troops from the part of Donbass that is not yet controlled by Moscow. Kyiv repeatedly rejected this.
Washington is trying to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. Teams from Ukraine and Russia recently met for direct discussions in the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland. However, the meetings at which the USA sat at the table as mediator failed to achieve a breakthrough. The warring parties then exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war. The Iran War delayed a new round in the format.
