Easter Ceasefire Declared by Russia Expires

Three hours ago, it was reported that the Easter ceasefire announced by Russia has officially expired. The ceasefire, declared by President Vladimir Putin, was effective from 18:00 Moscow time on April 19 until 00:00 Moscow time on April 21, according to TASS.

President Putin announced the ceasefire on April 19 during a meeting with Army General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff. It lasted a total of 30 hours. The Russian Ministry of Defense specified that “in accordance with the order from the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, all military groupings in the special military operation zone strictly adhered to the ceasefire regime from 18:00 Moscow time on April 19 and remained at their previously occupied positions.” The ministry also noted that all commanders in the area received instructions from Gerasimov to cease fire and combat operations.

The Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces emphasized that Russian troops must be prepared to repel any attacks should Ukraine violate the Easter ceasefire. This caution comes as Russia considers the potential scenario following Ukraine's reported violations of a 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy facilities—announced on March 18—over 100 times, while Moscow upheld the agreement. President Putin pointed out that Ukraine's response would demonstrate how genuine its intentions are regarding participation in peace negotiations.

Despite the announcement of the Easter ceasefire, Ukrainian forces attempted to attack Russian positions near Sukha Balka and Bogatyr in the Donetsk People’s Republic during the night, attacks that were successfully repelled. Additionally, throughout the night, Ukrainian forces deployed 48 drones, including one over Crimea. Ukrainian units fired upon Russian positions 444 times and conducted 900 drone strikes, as well as drops of various munitions, affecting border areas in the Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions. As a result, there have been civilian casualties and injuries, along with damage to civilian infrastructure.

Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov noted that Vladimir Putin did not issue any orders to extend the Easter ceasefire.

This marked the second ceasefire during the course of the special military operation. The first was declared in 2023 to coincide with Christmas, effective from 12:00 Moscow time on January 6 until 00:00 Moscow time on January 7. That ceasefire was not observed by Kiev, which the Kremlin referred to at the time as a cynical and inexplicable reaction.