Russia and Ukraine begin 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire amid ongoing conflict

Russia and Ukraine have commenced a temporary ceasefire lasting 32 hours starting Saturday afternoon to observe Orthodox Easter.

The truce began at 4:00pm local time (13:00 GMT) on Saturday and will continue until the end of Sunday.

The Kremlin ordered the ceasefire, instructing Russia's Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov to halt hostilities in all directions during this period.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Kyiv's readiness to reciprocate the pause amid ongoing battlefield tensions.

Despite the ceasefire announcement, violence continued just hours before it took effect.

Authorities in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa reported two people killed and two wounded in Russian strikes shortly before the truce began.

Additionally, two fatalities and around 15 injuries occurred overnight Friday in separate attacks in the central Poltava region and northeastern Sumy region.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 128 drones against Ukraine overnight Thursday.

This temporary truce follows a four-year conflict that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions, making it Europe's deadliest war since World War II.

The ceasefire offers a brief respite amid stalled US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war, which have been further complicated by the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The ceasefire echoes a similar truce held during Orthodox Easter last year.

However, current negotiations remain deadlocked, with Moscow demanding territorial and political concessions that Kyiv rejects as unacceptable.

#Russia #Ukraine #OrthodoxEasterceasefire #VolodymyrZelensky #AndreiBelousov #ValeryGerasimov