Putin announces 30-hour Easter ceasefire as Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of POWs

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 19, 2025 1:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Citing humanitarian reasons, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a impermanent Easter ceasefire successful Ukraine starting Saturday, arsenic Russia and Ukraine swapped hundreds of captured soldiers successful the largest speech since Moscow's full-scale penetration started implicit 3 years ago.

According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire volition commencement Saturday astatine 6 p.m. Moscow clip (11 a.m. ET) and extremity at midnight pursuing Easter Sunday.

"We presume that the Ukrainian broadside volition travel our example. At the aforesaid time, our troops indispensable beryllium acceptable to repel imaginable violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, immoderate of its assertive actions," Putin said astatine a gathering with Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, successful a video shared by the Kremlin's Press Service.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the ceasefire "another effort by Putin to play with quality lives." He wrote connected X that "air raid alerts are spreading crossed Ukraine," and "Shahed drones successful our skies uncover Putin's existent cognition toward Easter and toward quality life."

Russia had rejected afloat interim ceasefire 

In effect to the ceasefire announcement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had successful March "agreed unconditionally to the U.S. connection of a afloat interim ceasefire for 30 days," which Russia rejected.

"Putin has present made statements astir his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. Thirty hours alternatively of 30 days," Sybiha continued, penning connected X. "Unfortunately, we person had a agelong past of his statements not matching his actions."

The 2 sides, meanwhile, exchanged hundreds of POWs connected Saturday. Russia's Ministry of Defence said that 246 Russian work members were returned from territory controlled by Kyiv, and that "as a motion of goodwill" 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs were transferred successful speech for 15 wounded Russian soldiers successful request of urgent aesculapian care.

Zelenskyy said that 277 Ukrainian "warriors" person returned location from Russian captivity.

Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for their mediation.

Putin's ceasefire announcement came aft U.S. President Donald Trump connected Friday said negotiations betwixt Ukraine and Russia are "coming to a head" and insisted that neither broadside is "playing" him successful his propulsion to extremity the grinding three-year war.

Trump spoke soon aft Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the U.S. whitethorn "move on" from trying to unafraid a Russia-Ukraine bid woody if determination is nary advancement successful the coming days, aft months of efforts person failed to bring an extremity to the fighting.

WATCH | U.S. consenting to locomotion distant from Russia-Ukraine bid effort: 

In January 2023, Putin had ordered his forces successful Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas. Zelenskyy had dismissed it arsenic playing for clip to hole further attacks.

Russia warring to retake each of Kursk region

Russia's Defence Ministry said Saturday its forces pushed Ukrainian troops from the colony of Oleshnya, 1 of their past remaining footholds successful Russia's Kursk portion wherever the Ukrainians staged a astonishment incursion past year.

Gerasimov said Saturday successful a study to Putin, quoted by Russian authorities media, that Russia had retaken astir each of the territory from Ukrainian forces.

"The main portion of the region's territory, wherever the penetration took place, has present been liberated. This is 1,260 quadrate kilometres, 99.5 per cent," Gerasimov said.

Zelenskyy wrote connected X that Ukrainian forces "continued their enactment connected the territory of the Kursk portion and are holding their positions."

The Associated Press was incapable to instantly verify the assertion by Russia. Russian and North Korean soldiers person astir deprived Kyiv of a cardinal bargaining spot by retaking astir of the region.

According to Russian authorities quality bureau Tass, Russia is inactive warring to propulsion Ukrainian forces retired of the colony of Gornal, immoderate 11 kilometers south of Oleshnya.

"The Russian subject has yet to propulsion the Ukrainian equipped forces retired of Gornal ... successful bid to wholly liberate the Kursk region. Fierce warring is underway successful the settlement," the bureau reported, citing Russia information agencies.

In different developments, the Ukrainian aerial unit reported that Russia fired 87 exploding drones and decoys successful the latest question of attacks overnight into Saturday. It said 33 of them were intercepted and different 36 were lost, apt having been electronically jammed.

Russian attacks damaged farms successful the Odesa portion and sparked fires successful the Sumy portion overnight, Ukraine's State Emergency Service said Saturday. Fires were contained, and nary casualties were reported.

Russia's Ministry of Defence, meanwhile, said its aerial defence systems changeable down 2 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday.