By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0,
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary ceasefire for Easter in Ukraine, as announced by the Kremlin on Saturday.
The ceasefire is set to be in effect from 6 PM Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.
Driven by humanitarian motives, Putin stated during a meeting with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, as reported by the Kremlin’s Press Service, that military operations would be halted during this timeframe. “I order that all military actions be stopped for this period,” he emphasized.
Putin expressed hope that the Ukrainian side would reciprocate this gesture. However, he also instructed that Russian troops remain prepared to counter any potential violations of the ceasefire or provocations from the opposing side, warning against any aggressive actions.
This announcement coincided with a report from Russia’s Defence Ministry, which claimed that its forces had successfully driven Ukrainian troops from one of their last strongholds in the Kursk region. The ministry indicated that Russian forces had taken control of the village of Oleshnya, located near the Ukrainian border.
The Associated Press was unable to independently verify this assertion, and there was no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials.As reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, efforts continue to expel Ukrainian forces from the village of Gornal, situated approximately 11 kilometers south of Oleshnya.
The Russian military has not yet succeeded in removing Ukrainian armed forces from Gornal, which is necessary for the complete liberation of the Kursk region. Intense combat is ongoing in the area, according to reports from Russian security agencies.
Russian and North Korean forces have significantly diminished Kyiv’s leverage by reclaiming the majority of a region where Ukrainian troops executed a surprise incursion last year.
In related news, the Ukrainian air force announced that Russia launched 87 explosive drones and decoys during the most recent series of attacks overnight into Saturday. They reported that 33 of these drones were intercepted, while an additional 36 were likely lost due to electronic jamming.
According to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service, Russian assaults caused damage to farms in the Odesa region and ignited fires in the Sumy region overnight. The fires have been contained, and there were no reported casualties. Additionally, Russia’s Ministry of Defence stated that its air defense systems successfully shot down two Ukrainian drones during the same overnight period.
