Russia war latest: Putin and Zelensky agree to 32-hour Easter ceasefire while Moscow loses 1,100 troops in a day

Kyiv and Moscow decide not to trade attacks from tomorrow evening to Sunday midnight
Russian president Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter , which has been welcomed by his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky .

The Kremlin said the ceasefire for Orthodox Easter on Sunday would be in ​effect from 11 April 4pm to end of the day of12 April.

"We proceed on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation," the ⁠Kremlin announcement said.

Putin's announcement was similar to a 30-hour ceasefire he ordered last year.

Each side accused the other of violating ⁠it.

" Ukraine has repeatedly stated that ‌we are ready for reciprocal steps.

We proposed a ceasefire during the Easter holiday this year and will act accordingly," Zelensky said.

This comes after Moscow threatened to attack countries in the Baltic that are allowing Ukraine to use their airspace to fly drones to attack Russia .

Meanwhile, Russia ’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, is in the US , meeting ⁠members of president Donald Trump 's administration for discussions on a peace deal for Ukraine and US-Russia economic cooperation, ⁠according to officials aware of the matter.

Russia loses more than 1,100 personnel in past day
Russian losses have increased by more than 1,100 in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian military said this morning in a daily update.

“The total combat losses of Russian forces from February 24, 2022, to April 10 2026 in the war against Ukraine amount to approximately 1,308,670 personnel, including 1,130 over the past day,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a post.

Zelensky says Ukraine faces months of diplomatic and military pressure
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the spring and summer months would be difficult ​for Ukraine as it would face pressure on the battlefield and also diplomatically to end the war.

Zelensky said Ukraine's partners had asked Kyiv to reduce its strikes on Russia's oil sector as global prices surged due to the Iran war and escalating tensions in the ⁠Middle East.

He did not name the partners.

But he said that if Russia wanted to de-escalate, it should halt its own strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and agree to resume trilateral peace talks, mediated by Washington.

He acknowledged, however, that the US was currently reluctant to dedicate much more time to the peace process in Ukraine.

"This spring–summer period will ⁠be quite difficult politically and diplomatically.

There may be pressure ​on Ukraine," ⁠Zelensky told reporters in remarks released by his office this morning.

"There will also be pressure on the battlefield."
"I believe it will be very difficult for us until September."
Ukraine’s forces shot down Iranian Shahed drones for Middle East allies, reveals Zelensky
Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed Ukrainian forces shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern nations in the US and Israel’s war on Iran, in a rare disclosure of Kyiv ’s involvement in the conflict.

Mr Zelensky said the operations were a part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine .

This marks the first public acknowledgement of Kyiv’s aerial assistance to West’s ally nations from Ukraine’s war-time president.

Ukrainian forces, Mr Zelensky said, took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced, battle-tested interceptor drones.

Earlier in March, Mr Zelensky said Ukraine was assisting five Middle Eastern and Gulf nations in countering Iranian drone attacks.

He also revealed that the US and European countries had requested similar support, owing to Kyiv's growing expertise in drone defence, acquired in the more than four-year-old war against Russia’s incoming aerial barrages of drones and missiles.

Ukraine shot down Iranian Shahed drones for Middle East allies, reveals Zelensky
UK says military deployed to deter Russian submarines from attack on undersea cables
Britain deployed military vessels to prevent any attacks on cables and pipelines by Russian submarines that spent more than a month in and around British waters earlier this year, defence secretary John Healey said.

Healey said British forces and allies including Norway tracked and deterred malign activity by the Russian vessels, adding that the submarines had now left the area and ⁠there were no signs of damage to underwater infrastructure.

Revealing the operation ​publicly ⁠at a press conference, Healey said the intent was to show Russian president Vladimir Putin that the activity had been detected.

"To president Putin, I say 'We see you.

We see your activity over our cables ⁠and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and ​will have ⁠serious consequences'," he said.

"Our armed forces left them ‌in no doubt that they were being monitored, that their movements were not covert, as president Putin planned, and that their attempted secret operation had been exposed."
Zelensky says Ukraine will act in accordance with Easter ceasefire
President ​Volodymyr Zelensky said early on Friday that Ukraine ⁠would act in accordance with an Easter ceasefire.

"Ukraine has repeatedly ⁠stated ​that ⁠we are ready for reciprocal ⁠steps.

We proposed ​a ⁠ceasefire during ‌the Easter holiday this year and will ‌act accordingly," Zelensky ‌said on Telegram after the Kremlin ⁠ordered troops to observe a 32-hour ceasefire.

"People need an Easter without threats and a real ‌move towards peace, and ​Russia has ‌a ⁠chance not to ⁠return to attacks even ‌after ​Easter."
Zelensky says he offered peace talks to end Ukraine war to Trump's envoys
Volodymyr Zelensky said he had urged US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to visit Kyiv, noting the offer came before a ceasefire in the Middle East.

"I told them: "Come to us, and then go to Moscow.

Let's hold a trilateral meeting in this format." he said.

"They were receptive to this, but as we can see, they decided they cannot be far from their president right now."
He said it remained unclear whether the envoys would still visit Kyiv or whether talks would instead take place in a third country.

On the substance of discussions, Zelensky said Ukraine is preparing proposals on security guarantees to present to the United States and expressed hope diplomacy would move forward.

The US-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington's attention has switched to the Middle East conflict while the Russian and Ukrainian armies remain locked in battle on the roughly 1,250km (800 mile) front line.

Zelensky says Ukrainian forces shot down Shahed drones in Middle Eastern countries during Iran war
Ukrainian military personnel shot down Iranian-designed Shahed drones in multiple Middle Eastern countries during the Iran war, president Volodymyr Zelensky said, describing the operations as part of a broader effort to help partners counter the same weapons used by Russia in Ukraine.

Zelensky made his first public acknowledgment of the operations Wednesday in remarks to reporters that were embargoed until this morning.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces took part in active operations abroad using domestically produced, battle-tested interceptor drones.

‘Who wants to be cannon fodder?’ Ukraine’s conscription crisis divides readers
Reporting from Izyum, in eastern Ukraine, Kiley’s report detailed the scandal of millions avoiding military call-ups – with hundreds of thousands of soldiers also absent without leave.

Many sympathised with those avoiding service, particularly men with families, describing it as understandable to fear a “one-way ticket” to the front.

Some readers reflected on the psychological toll of the conflict, highlighting exhaustion among soldiers and the fear of being sent to the most dangerous areas with little chance of return – points also noted by Kiley on the ground.

Others were more critical, insisting citizens should defend their country and questioning what draft evasion says about duty, sacrifice, and national survival.

‘Who wants to be cannon fodder?’ Ukraine’s conscription crisis splits readers
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies