Moscow and Kyiv continued exchanges of fire as a planned Orthodox Easter ceasefire was due to begin on Saturday afternoon. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, 2022, has entered its fifth year, while US diplomatic momentum to halt the war has reportedly waned. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Kyiv would pause defensive operations if Russia ceases attacks over the religious holiday.
Russia announced a temporary 36-hour halt to its strikes from Saturday at 4:00 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) until midnight on Sunday, calling the interval a ‘humanitarian gesture.’ Despite the announcement, strikes continued overnight and into Saturday in several regions.
In the southern port city of Odesa, local officials reported two people killed and several wounded after Russian drones struck residential buildings and a kindergarten. In central Poltava a ‘hostile drone attack’ hit a shop and a café, killing one person and injuring another. In the northeast, strikes in Sumy struck multiple residential areas, injuring 14 people, including a 14-year-old and an 87-year-old.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported shooting down 99 Ukrainian drones overnight. Debris from downed drones reportedly fell on an oil depot in the Russian town of Krymsk and sparked a fire; local authorities gave few details about the damage.
The temporary pause echoes an Orthodox holiday ceasefire last year that was widely violated. With US attention reportedly shifting toward the US–Israel–Iran situation, efforts to end the invasion appear to have diminished. Both Moscow and Kyiv have warned they will respond to any attacks during this year’s 36-hour intermission.