President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday, April 11, that Ukraine will observe the Easter ceasefire but warned that the military is prepared to act with a “mirror response” to any Russian provocations.
Writing on Facebook following a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelensky emphasized that while Kyiv has long advocated for an Orthodox Easter truce, the military remains on high alert. “We all understand who we are dealing with,” the president noted. “The absence of Russian strikes in the sky, on the ground, and at sea will mean the absence of our responses.”
Zelensky confirmed that the parameters for Ukraine’s reaction to potential violations have been established and communicated to the Russian side. He added that Ukraine is open to extending the cessation of hostilities beyond the Easter holiday as a step toward a “real movement toward peace.”
The diplomatic development follows weeks of tension. Zelensky first proposed a holiday truce on March 30, which the Kremlin initially dismissed as an unarticulated initiative. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin later issued a unilateral decree ordering a ceasefire from 4 p.m. Saturday through the end of Sunday.
Despite the decree, Russian forces launched a massive drone offensive on Saturday morning, killing five civilians across Odesa, Kherson, and Nikopol. The continued bombardment has fueled deep skepticism among Ukrainian officials and analysts, who have described the Kremlin’s move as a “PR stunt” intended to equate Moscow with Washington following the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East.
“Ukraine has repeatedly offered various ceasefire formats, and we believe Easter should be a time of silence and security,” Zelensky said.
As the 4 p.m. deadline approaches, the international community is watching to see if the “holiday silence” will hold or if, as in previous years, the truce will be broken before celebrations even begin.