Ukrainian troops were ordered to cease firing on Russian positions shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an "Easter truce" on April 19, a senior Ukrainian military officer told the BBC's Russia service.
Putin earlier said he ordered a temporary ceasefire on Easter weekend, halting all military action from 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 until midnight on April 21.
Minutes after the start of the truce, Ukrainian units received orders to cease fire on Russian positions, a senior military officer reportedly told the BBC.
The officer said that troops were also ordered to document photo and video evidence of any Russian ceasefire violations and to return fire if necessary.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims at the time of publication.
Following Putin's call for an Easter truce, the Ukrainian government responded with skepticism, citing continued attacks and Moscow's track record on ceasefire agreements.
"As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with people's lives — an air raid alert is sounding across Ukraine right now," President Volodymyr Zelensky said following the announcement.
Zelensky noted that air defense units were responding to ongoing Russian attacks and that Shahed-type drones had been spotted over Ukrainian territory.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Putin's word was not a guarantee of a truce and called attention to Moscow's persistent refusal to accept a full ceasefire.
"Now Putin has made statements about his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours instead of 30 days," Sybiha said. "Unfortunately, we have considerable experience when his statements did not coincide with his actions. We know that his words cannot be believed, and we will look at actions, not words."
Ukraine has been willing to commit to the U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire on all hostilities since March 11, Sybiha said.
The suggested Easter ceasefire follows previous Russian attacks on Ukraine during major Orthodox holidays, including a deadly strike on Sumy on Palm Sunday that killed 35 people and an attack on Kharkiv during Good Friday that killed one person and injured 120.
Anna Fratsyvir
(Updated: )
