Overview
- The Kremlin, which announced the order Thursday, said the pause runs from 4 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to the end of Sunday.
- Russian forces were told to stop fighting in all directions and to stay ready to repel any provocation, with Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and General Valery Gerasimov tasked to enforce the order.
- Moscow said it assumes Ukraine will match the pause, though Kyiv had not issued an immediate public response.
- The step follows President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s earlier proposal, relayed via the United States, for a holiday truce focused on stopping strikes against energy infrastructure.
- Past Easter pauses collapsed quickly, and with US-led diplomacy stalled as attention shifts to the Middle East, the lull is expected to offer only brief relief for civilians observing the holiday.