As Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its fifth year of active conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a 32-hour unilateral ceasefire across all front lines to coincide with the Orthodox Easter weekend, a move that follows an earlier holiday truce proposal from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Kremlin officially published Putin’s decree on Thursday, outlining that the pause in hostilities will begin at 4 p.m. local time on Saturday and extend through the end of Easter Sunday.
Zelenskyy had first floated a limited truce proposal earlier that same week, calling on both Moscow and Kyiv to halt attacks on one another’s energy infrastructure exclusively for the duration of the religious holiday. The Ukrainian leader noted the offer was transmitted through U.S. diplomatic channels, which have served as the main mediating body for discussions between Russian and Ukrainian delegations throughout the ongoing invasion.
As of Thursday evening, Kyiv had not issued an immediate public response to Putin’s broader ceasefire announcement. The Kremlin’s statement accompanying the decree made clear that while Russian forces have been ordered to stop all offensive actions across the entire front line for the truce period, troops remain on high alert. “Troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions,” the document reads, adding that Moscow expects Ukrainian forces to match the ceasefire.
This latest unilateral truce announcement comes against a backdrop of failed past ceasefire efforts. Last Orthodox Easter, Putin declared a 30-hour pause in fighting, but both sides quickly traded accusations of violations that left the truce effectively meaningless. Broader international ceasefire proposals have also stalled: last year, Kyiv and Washington put forward a proposal for a 30-day unconditional truce as a first step toward peace negotiations, but Russia rejected the plan, insisting that any pause must be tied to a comprehensive long-term settlement.
U.S.-mediated talks between the two delegations have failed to deliver tangible progress on core outstanding issues in months. In recent months, U.S. diplomatic and security focus has shifted largely to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, leaving the 1,250-kilometer front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces locked in a costly stalemate of incremental positional battles.