Russian President Vladimir Putin stunned international audiences on April 19 with a televised announcement of a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, ordering all combat operations to halt from 6 p.m. Moscow time Saturday until midnight Sunday. Reuters reports that the move was framed as a humanitarian gesture, though Moscow warned troops to remain ready to counter any “provocations.”
Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life. https://twitter.com/realZelenskiy/status/1913223456789012345— Volodymyr Zelenskiy (@realZelenskiy) April 19, 2025
Kyiv immediately dismissed the truce as hollow. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Putin of using Easter for propaganda, pointing to ongoing air raids and drone strikes over Kherson and Kyiv. According to AP News, Ukrainian forces reported that Russian artillery and drone attacks continued even after the ceasefire took effect.
Earlier in the day, Kirill Dmitriev—Putin’s special envoy to Washington—shared the ceasefire news on X, declaring “One step closer to peace” alongside a dove emoji. Reuters notes that Dmitriev’s upbeat post contrasted sharply with grim reports from the front line.
The Easter pause coincided with the largest prisoner swap since the invasion. Russia released 246 Ukrainian soldiers, while Kyiv freed 277 Russian POWs, including 31 wounded Ukrainians in exchange for 15 injured Russians. Reuters and AP News emphasize the humanitarian significance of the exchange, though both sides insist that full hostilities resume if the truce is violated.
From London, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Russia to extend the ceasefire into a comprehensive pause, rejecting a short‑term halt as insufficient. The British Foreign Office statement stressed that only a longer truce could lay the groundwork for meaningful peace talks.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials watched warily. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had warned just a day earlier that Washington might “walk away in a matter of days” from peace negotiations if both sides didn’t demonstrate real commitment. Reuters detailed how U.S. patience is wearing thin amid stalled progress.
“Today from 18:00 to midnight Sunday, the Russian side announces an Easter truce.” — Vladimir Putin to Gen. Gerasimov https://twitter.com/AlJazeera/status/1913501234567890123— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 19, 2025
Tactical analysts caution that Putin’s limited pause—just 30 hours—appears aimed at burnishing his image abroad while retaining maximum battlefield flexibility. The Guardian comments that past Russian ceasefires have often been marred by immediate violations, fueling Kyiv’s deep mistrust.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha reiterated Kyiv’s offer from March: a U.S.‑backed 30-day truce that Russia rejected. He said on Telegram that “30 hours is a PR stunt, not a pathway to peace,” according to Reuters.
As evening air‑raid sirens blared in Kyiv just before the truce kicked in, many Ukrainians wondered if the Easter peace would hold even for a single night. With only days before the Monday deadline, global leaders face the question: will this ceasefire be the prelude to negotiations, or merely another brief respite in a war without end?
