Russia’s Putin declares 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine war for Orthodox Easter

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend.

Mr Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting at 4pm on Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday.

Mr Putin’s move follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s proposal earlier this week to observe a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter.

He said he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as the conflict stretches into a fifth year.

Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had little or no impact.

Mr Putin unilaterally declared a 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.