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A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine came into effect on Saturday, with Kyiv warning it will respond immediately if Russia breaches the agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the ceasefire on Thursday to align with Orthodox Easter, more than a week after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky initially proposed it. Both parties have agreed to follow the terms of the ceasefire.
The truce is scheduled to last for 32 hours, starting at 4:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT) on Saturday and ending at the close of Sunday, according to the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated, “Ukraine will observe the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind. The absence of Russian strikes by air, land, or sea will mean no retaliation from us.” The Ukrainian military remains prepared to respond immediately if the ceasefire is violated.
Just hours before the ceasefire was to begin, Russia launched at least 160 drones at Ukrainian territory, resulting in four deaths in the country’s east and south, and injuring dozens of others, Ukrainian officials reported. The Odesa region in the south was among the hardest hit, with authorities confirming two fatalities and damage to civilian infrastructure. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones ignited a fire at an oil depot and damaged apartment buildings in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Russian-occupied areas in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Kherson regions also suffered attacks, resulting in four deaths.
Public skepticism about the ceasefire holding remains high among Ukrainians, especially given past violations—last year, both sides accused each other of numerous breaches during similar Easter truces. Despite the ongoing tension, both sides carried out a prisoner exchange, handing over 175 soldiers each, with the United Arab Emirates mediating the process, according to Russian Defense Ministry reports.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict have largely stalled in recent weeks, especially amid the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Prior to this, efforts toward peace had been slow, chiefly due to disagreements over territorial control. Ukraine suggested maintaining current front lines as the basis for peace, but Russia rejected this, insisting Ukraine cede all territories in the Donetsk region that it currently controls—a demand Kyiv finds unacceptable. Several US-led negotiations have failed to produce an agreement, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denying that Russia discussed ceasefire terms with Ukraine or the U.S. in advance, emphasizing that the ceasefire is unrelated to broader peace talks.
The conflict has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions, making it Europe’s deadliest war since World War II. After over four years, fighting has largely stagnated. Russia has made some small territorial gains at a high cost, while Ukraine has recently pushed back in the southeast, with Russian advances slowing since late 2025, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Analysts attribute this slowdown to Russia’s ban from using SpaceX’s Starlink satellites and Moscow’s efforts to restrict the Telegram messaging app. However, the situation remains unfavorable for Ukraine in parts of the Donetsk region near Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, where Russia controls just over 19 percent of Ukrainian territory—most of it seized in the early weeks of the conflict.
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