A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine for Orthodox Easter is set to begin on Saturday afternoon, as US-led diplomatic efforts to end the war falter.
The Kremlin said it had ordered a temporary truce from Saturday at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) until the end of Sunday, a 32-hour period.
Russia’s Defence Minister Andrei Belousov and army chief Valery Gerasimov have been instructed to “cease hostilities in all directions during this period”, the Kremlin said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv had “repeatedly stated” it was ready for a ceasefire over Easter, and was willing to reciprocate.
The temporary ceasefire came as US-led talks on ending the four-year-old conflict have been derailed by the Middle East war.
The two sides also held a ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter last year.
Authorities in Ukraine’s southern Odessa said on Saturday that two people had been killed in Russian strikes, and two others wounded, just hours before the ceasefire was set to…
