Putin announces temporary ceasefire in exchange for prisoners in Ukraine, Russia and Ukraine – State
Russian President Vladimir Putin began a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine on Saturday, citing humanitarian reasons as Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of captured soldiers in the largest exchanges since the start of a full-scale invasion of Moscow three years ago.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from Moscow at 6 p.m., which will take Saturday to midnight after Easter Sunday.
Putin said in a video of the Kremlin news service: “We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the ceasefire “another attempt by Putin to live with humanity.” “Air raid sirens are spreading across Ukraine” and “the drones in our sky reveal Putin's true attitude towards Easter and human life.”
The largest prisoner of war exchange to date
Meanwhile, the two sides exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war on Saturday. The Russian Ministry of Defense said 246 Russian service personnel returned from Kiev-controlled territory “as a good-willed gesture” 31 injured Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred in exchange for 15 injured Russian soldiers, requiring emergency medical treatment.
Zelenskyy said 277 Ukrainian “warriors” have returned home from Russia's imprisonment.
Both sides thank the United Arab Emirates for their mediation.
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Putin's ceasefire announcement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were “in trouble” and insisted that neither side “played” him in a effort to end the Three Years' War.
Trump, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that the United States could “continue” from trying to ensure the Russian-Ukrainian peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts fail to end the battle.
In January 2023, Putin ordered his troops in Ukraine to observe a unilateral, 36-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Christmas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stopped showing that his troops would reject Putin's request, but rejected Russia's move because Russia was intended to reorganize its invading forces and prepare for other attacks.
Russia says its troops have almost recaptured Kursk
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its troops drove Ukrainian troops out of Oleshnya, one of their last remaining footholds in Russia's Kursk region, which the Ukrainians invaded unexpectedly last year.
Gerasimov said in a report to Putin on Saturday that Russian state media cited Russia to take back almost all its territory from Ukrainian forces.
“The main part of the territory in the region where the invasion occurred has now been liberated. It is 1,260 square kilometers, 99.5 percent,” said Gerasimov.
Zelenskyy wrote on X that Ukrainian troops “continue their activities on the territory of the Kursk region and maintain their posts.”
The Associated Press was unable to verify Russia's claims immediately. Russian and North Korean soldiers almost deprived Kief of their key bargaining chips by recapturing much of the region.
According to Russian State News Agency tassRussia is still working to drive Ukrainian troops out of the village of Gornar, about 11 kilometers south of Olshnia.
The agency quoted the Russian security agency as saying: “The Russian military has not yet driven the Ukrainian armed forces out of Gornar … in order to fully liberate the Kursk region. Fierce battles are underway in the settlements.”
Among other developments, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia launched 87 explosions of drones and baits overnight until Saturday. It said 33 of them were intercepted and another 36 were lost, possibly blocked by electronics.
The Ukrainian Emergency Services Ministry said the Russian attack damaged farms in the Odessa area and fired in the Sumi area overnight. The fire was contained and no casualties were found.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said its air defense system shot down two Ukrainian drones until Saturday.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
