As part of an Easter truce, President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered the Russian military to halt operations on the fronts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also signalled support for a ceasefire for Orthodox Easter.
The ceasefire for Sunday’s Orthodox Easter comes amid a broader stalemate in US-led diplomatic efforts. Mediation to resolve the four-year conflict has effectively stalled as hostilities in Iran and the wider Middle East complicate the path to a lasting settlement.
Putin’s announcement echoed a 30-hour ceasefire he ordered last year, which both sides accused the other of breaching.
“By the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief…V.V. Putin, in connection with the approaching Orthodox feast of Easter (the Resurrection of Christ), a ceasefire is declared from 16:00 (13:00 GMT) on 11 April until the end of the day on 12 April 2026,” the Kremlin said.
“We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” the Kremlin added.
What’s the significance of Orthodox Easter?
Orthodox Easter is the principal feast in the Eastern Orthodox liturgical year, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While it shares the same central meaning as Western Easter, the two often fall on different dates and follow distinct traditions.
Why do the dates differ?
The main difference is the calendar used to calculate the date. Western churches use the Gregorian calendar (the civil calendar), while most Orthodox churches use the older Julian calendar.
Because the Julian calendar is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian, and because the churches apply slightly different rules about the spring equinox and the full moon, Orthodox Easter usually occurs one to five weeks after Western Easter.
The Jewish Passover rule
A requirement observed by the Orthodox Church, less strictly followed in the West, is that Easter must fall after the Jewish holiday of Passover. This follows the biblical sequence in which the Resurrection came after Passover.
If the calculated date for Orthodox Easter would fall before or during Passover, the Orthodox Church moves the celebration to the following Sunday.
Ukraine has repeatedly proposed halting fighting for Orthodox Easter. “People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to attacks even after Easter,” Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian state agency TASS that Putin’s ceasefire proposal had not been discussed in advance with the United States.
