Ukraine Says Russia Violated Easter Truce

UPDATE Apr 11, 2026 12:55 PM CDT

Ukraine says it didn't take long for Russia to violate a truce for Orthodox Easter both sides had agreed to. A Ukrainian military officer tells the AP that while artillery fire has paused in his sector, Russian drone attacks continued Saturday after the ceasefire was supposed to be in effect. Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, says Ukrainian forces are responding with "silence to silence and fire to fire." In posts online, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said an Easter truce could be the beginning of "real movement toward peace," but added, "We all understand who we are dealing with. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind."

• Earlier Saturday, officials said 175 Russian soldiers were released in a prisoner exchange, as were 175 Ukrainian soldiers and seven Ukrainian civilians. "Most have been in captivity since 2022. And finally—home," Zelensky said.

Apr 9, 2026 4:05 PM CDT

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a temporary halt to military operations in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter holiday, mirroring a truce proposal from Kyiv. The Kremlin announced Thursday that a ceasefire would run from 4pm Saturday Moscow time until the end of Sunday "in connection with the approaching Orthodox feast of Easter." Russia's General Staff has been told to stop combat operations "in all directions" during that period, France24 reports, while forces remain positioned to respond to what Moscow called potential "provocations by the enemy."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that he had submitted a holiday ceasefire plan through the US, at a time when efforts to negotiate an end to the four-year war have stalled. The Kremlin's statement said it expects Ukraine to "follow the example of the Russian Federation." Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact, the AP points out. Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.