President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, April 19, ordered a unilateral Easter ceasefire in Ukraine and ordered Russian forces to end hostilities 8.30 pm (IST) on Saturday until the end of Sunday (April 20).
The Russian president said he hoped that Ukraine would follow Russia’s example. However, he instructed Valery Gerasimov, the chief of Russia’s general staff, to keep Russian troops on standby to repel any violations of the truce by Kyiv.
“Based on humanitarian considerations, the Russian side announces an Easter truce. I order a stop to all military activities for this period,” news agency Reuters quoted Putin as telling Gerasimov, at a meeting in the Kremlin.
