Four years into the full-scale invasion that has killed hundreds of thousands and reduced large swathes of eastern Ukraine to rubble, a unilateral announcement of a 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce from the Kremlin has sparked starkly contrasting reactions on either side of the frontline. On the streets of Kyiv Friday, ordinary Ukrainians voiced deep distrust of Moscow’s pledge, which would pause all offensive operations across all battle directions from 4:00 pm Moscow time (1300 GMT) Saturday through the end of Sunday. Even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has long pushed for a ceasefire to de-escalate the conflict, confirmed Kyiv stands ready to match the truce, few residents of the capital were willing to take Moscow’s promise at face value.
Decades of broken agreements and last year’s failed Easter ceasefire, where both sides traded accusations of hundreds of violations, have left most Ukrainians convinced this temporary halt to fighting is little more than hollow rhetoric. “No one believes in these fairytales anymore,” 29-year-old Kyiv IT specialist Yevgeniy Lamakh told Agence France-Presse. “The Russian military lie constantly, as history has proven. They say one thing, but act in a completely opposite way.”
Ukrainian actor Dmytro Sova, 42, echoed that frustration, pointing to the sustained barrage of Russian attacks that has continued even after the truce announcement. Ukraine’s air force confirmed Russia launched 128 Shahed drones and long-range missiles in an overnight attack just one day after the truce was declared. According to Ukrainian military data, Russia has launched hundreds of these long-range drone strikes against Ukrainian territory every single day since May 10, 2025. “Even today… Shaheds, missiles are flying at Ukraine. Well, come on then, start the ceasefire,” Sova snorted, adding that he believes only full Russian troop withdrawal from all occupied Ukrainian territory and a return to good-faith negotiations can resolve the conflict.
For 46-year-old Kyiv resident Yuriy Dunai, the memory of last year’s broken truce makes him an open pessimist about this latest attempt. “They were not observed a single time. It seems to me that it is not worth expecting a miracle,” he said.
While distrust dominates in Ukraine, ordinary residents in Moscow expressed hope that the temporary truce could open the door to broader peace talks. 58-year-old hairdresser Elena framed the announcement as a positive step forward. “I’m only for peace, that’s all I can say. Thanks to Putin, maybe things will keep going well from here on,” she told AFP. 59-year-old pensioner Lyubov Pavlenka called the truce “wonderful” news, echoing a widespread desire for the conflict to end as soon as possible.
Beyond the temporary halt, long-term peace efforts remain stalled. Moscow has rejected Kyiv’s calls for a longer-term unconditional ceasefire, insisting it will only agree to a final, permanent peace settlement. Talks brokered by the United States have ground to a halt over the status of four partially occupied eastern Ukrainian regions, which Moscow demands Kyiv cede to Russian control. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly ruled out any territorial concessions, arguing that giving up land would only embolden Moscow to launch new incursions further into Ukrainian territory in the future.