Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a gathering with members of the Safety Council by way of a video hyperlink in Moscow, Russia, April 1, 2025.
Sergei Ilyin | Through Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin introduced a short lived Easter ceasefire in Ukraine beginning Saturday, citing humanitarian causes, as Russia and Ukraine swapped lots of of captured troopers within the largest trade since Moscow’s full-scale invasion began over three years in the past.
In line with the Kremlin, the ceasefire will final from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.
“We assume that the Ukrainian facet will observe our instance. On the similar time, our troops have to be able to repel potential violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions,” Putin mentioned at a gathering with Chief of the Normal Workers Valery Gerasimov, in a video shared by the Kremlin’s Press Service.
In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a put up on X on Saturday that, “as for one more try by Putin to play with human lives—at this second, air raid alerts are spreading throughout Ukraine.”
“At 17:15, Russian assault drones have been detected in our skies. Ukrainian air protection and aviation have already begun working to guard us,” he wrote after receiving a report from his commander-in-chief.
“Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true perspective towards Easter and towards human life,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Ukrainian International Minister Andrii Sybiha mentioned that Kyiv had in March “agreed unconditionally to the U.S. proposal of a full interim ceasefire for 30 days,” which Russia rejected.
“Putin has now made statements about his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours as an alternative of 30 days,” Sybiha continued, writing on X. “Sadly, we’ve got had a protracted historical past of his statements not matching his actions.”
Zelenskyy, in a subsequent put up on X on Saturday, mentioned: “If Russia is now immediately prepared to actually interact in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions.”
“If an entire ceasefire actually takes maintain, Ukraine proposes extending it past the Easter day of April 20,” Zelenskyy added.
“That’s what will reveal Russia’s true intentions — as a result of 30 hours is sufficient to make headlines, however not for real confidence-building measures.”
Largest POW trade to date
The 2 sides in the meantime exchanged lots of of POWs on Saturday. Russia’s Ministry of Protection mentioned that 246 Russian service members have been returned from territory managed by Kyiv, and that “as a gesture of goodwill” 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs have been transferred in trade for 15 wounded Russian troopers in want of pressing medical care.
Zelenskyy mentioned that 277 Ukrainian “warriors” have returned dwelling from Russian captivity.
Either side thanked the United Arab Emirates for its mediation.
Putin’s ceasefire announcement got here after U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday mentioned negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither facet is “enjoying” him in his push to finish the grinding three-year warfare.
Trump spoke shortly after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. could “transfer on” from making an attempt to safe a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there isn’t a progress within the coming days, after months of efforts have didn’t carry an finish to the preventing.
In January 2023, Putin had ordered his forces in Ukraine to look at a unilateral, 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas. Zelenskyy had dismissed it as enjoying for time to organize further assaults.
Russia says forces have retaken practically all of Kursk
Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned Saturday its forces pushed Ukrainian troops from the village of Oleshnya, one among their final remaining footholds in Russia’s Kursk area the place the Ukrainians staged a shock incursion final 12 months.
Gerasimov mentioned Saturday in a report back to Putin, quoted by Russian state media, that Russia had retaken practically all the territory from Ukrainian forces.
“The primary a part of the area’s territory, the place the invasion occurred, has now been liberated. That is 1,260 sq. kilometers, 99.5%,” Gerasimov mentioned.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukrainian forces “continued their exercise on the territory of the Kursk area and are holding their positions.”
The Related Press was unable to instantly confirm the declare by Russia.
Russian and North Korean troopers have practically disadvantaged Kyiv of a key bargaining chip by retaking a lot of the area.
In line with Russian state information company Tass, Russia remains to be preventing to push Ukrainian forces out of the village of Gornal, some 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Oleshnya.
“The Russian navy has but to push the Ukrainian armed forces out of Gornal … so as to fully liberate the Kursk area. Fierce preventing is underway within the settlement,” the company reported, citing Russia safety companies.
In different developments, the Ukrainian air drive reported that Russia fired 87 exploding drones and decoys within the newest wave of assaults in a single day into Saturday. It mentioned 33 of them have been intercepted and one other 36 have been misplaced, seemingly having been electronically jammed.
Russian assaults broken farms within the Odesa area and sparked fires within the Sumy area in a single day, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service mentioned Saturday. Fires have been contained, and no casualties have been reported.
Russia’s Ministry of Protection, in the meantime, mentioned its air protection techniques shot down two Ukrainian drones in a single day into Saturday.
— CNBC contributed to this report.
