Russia, Ukraine set Easter truce as Kyiv gains drone advantage

by · UPI

April 10 (UPI) -- Russia and Ukraine have both said they will halt fighting during the Orthodox Easter weekend, a rare truce in the four-year-old war that has seen recent advances by Kyiv.

The truce will be in effect from 4 p.m. MST Saturday through end of Sunday, according to the Kremlin.

Military leaders "were instructed to cease combat on all fronts during this period. Nevertheless, the troops are to be prepared to counter any provocations or aggressive actions by the enemy," the Kremlin said in a statement late Thursday.

"It is assumed that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation."

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President Volodymyr Zelensky responded, stating that it was Ukraine that proposed the Easter holiday cease-fire and that it "will act accordingly."

"People need an Easter free from threats and real movement toward peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to strikes after Easter as well," he said in a statement. Zelensky did not state if he agreed with the times Russia announced.

It was also unclear if the truce would hold.

Last Easter, both sides accused the other of violating a similar holiday cease-fire.

Zelensky accused Russia of violating the truce nearly 3,000 times, while the Kremlin also accused Ukraine of conducting attacks during the same period.

During his nightly address on Monday, Zelensky said Ukraine had conveyed through the United States that if Russia is ready to stop striking Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Ukraine would reciprocate.

"We have repeatedly offered Russia a cease-fire, at least for Easter -- this special time of year. But for them all times are alike and nothing is sacred," he said.

"If Russia can afford this war, if it can finance it, it will not choose peace willingly."

The war began Feb. 24, 2022, with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the Russia Matters project of the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center, Russia has incurred about 1 million military casualties compared with Ukraine's between 250,000 and 300,000, as of late February.

The Institute for the Study of War said Ukrainian forces have gained a drone advantage over Russian forces on the battlefield, helping stall Russian advances and support recent Ukrainian counterattacks.

According to the institute's Thursday report, Ukraine's increased attacks on Russian air defense systems, combined with its drone interception rates, have contributed to recent battlefield success for Ukraine.

Donald Trump meets with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky

President Donald Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inside the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on February 28, 2025. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI | License Photo