Easter Truce Announced by Putin Expires

The 30-hour Easter truce unilaterally declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin expired at midnight Moscow time, marking the end of a brief and fragile pause in fighting across Ukraine.

Announced Saturday in observance of the Orthodox Easter holiday, the ceasefire was initially rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who reiterated Kyiv’s position that Russia should accept a broader, 30-day ceasefire proposal backed by Ukraine and the United States last month. However, following what was reported to be pressure from Western allies, Zelensky later agreed to the temporary truce.

Despite the ceasefire's brief duration, both sides accused one another of repeated violations. Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed there were more than 1,000 breaches by Ukrainian forces, including reports of U.S.-supplied HIMARS rockets fired over the Kursk region. Civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure were also reported in the Belgorod region and across multiple areas along the front line.

One video circulating on social media appeared to show Russian soldiers carrying a white flag while attempting to recover a fallen comrade, only to come under attack by a Ukrainian drone.

On Sunday morning, Zelensky proposed a 30-day moratorium on drone and long-range missile strikes, but Russian officials did not agree to the offer. A separate ceasefire agreement concerning strikes on energy infrastructure, which had been in place for the past 30 days, also expired on Friday. While Moscow has not commented on extending that arrangement, it has accused Ukraine of violating it from the outset.

Since Saturday’s truce announcement, observers have reported heightened activity at Poland’s Rzeszów–Jasionka Airport—a key NATO logistics hub—where Western military transport aircraft were seen arriving, reportedly to deliver new shipments of weapons to Ukraine.