Zelensky calls the Kremlin's bluff - but what impact will this have on the war?published at 12:10 British Summer Time 20 April

12:10 BST 20 April

James Waterhouse
reporting from Mykolaiv, Ukraine

What is interesting is how Ukraine's President Zelensky has effectively called the Kremlin’s bluff saying: "30 hours? Make it 30 days. If you are serious, we will be as well."

President Zelensky can’t afford to be antagonistic in this moment because Donald Trump - we know from previous months - will only take a dim view of Kyiv and not Moscow.

It’s tricky for Zelensky. This could turn into something. But few in Ukraine think it will turn into anything meaningful or stable that will allow this war to end.

Image source, Reuters

"Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 18:00 (16:00 BST) to 00:00 (22:00 BST) from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce," Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his announcement yesterday.

"For this period, I order all military actions to cease. We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example. At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions.

"We know that the Kyiv regime has violated the agreement on non-strikes on energy infrastructure more than 100 times.”

He adds: “Our decision on the Easter truce will show how sincere is the readiness of the Kyiv regime and its desire, and indeed its ability, to comply with the agreements and participate in the process of peace negotiations aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crises.”

Major sticking point remains despite Putin's 'Easter truce'published at 11:39 British Summer Time 20 April

11:39 BST 20 April

Steve Rosenberg
reporting from Moscow, Russia

Typically, we only see the tip of the iceberg.

We're not privy to all the conversations taking place behind closed doors.

What we do know is that President Donald Trump was growing impatient at the lack of progress on a Ukraine peace deal. He’d been keen for some kind of truce to be announced.

Let's see what happens when Putin's "Easter truce" expires at midnight local time tonight. Whether there will be continued efforts from all parties to continue the conversation and push towards a wider agreement.

Image source, Reuters

The major sticking point remains: how and on what terms to end the war in Ukraine.

Up until now Vladimir Putin has shown little sign of being willing to compromise. His demands haven't changed - as far as we can tell - since his so-called peace proposal of June last year.

Under that, Russia would keep all the Ukrainian regions it has occupied, while territory still under Ukrainian control in those regions would be handed to Moscow.

So, we need to wait, follow events to see whether this small step Putin has taken leads to anything more substantial.

• Read Steve Rosenberg's full analysis here

Image source, EPA

We've just had another update from Ukraine's President Zelensky via the social media platform X.

Citing his commander-in-chief, Zelensky says that since 10:00 local time (08:00 BST) there has been an "increase in the number of Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones by the occupiers".

He adds that between midnight and midday today 26 Russian assault operations have taken place.

The BBC has not independently verified this figure.

The post on the Ukrainian president's X account says:

The post adds that the situation demonstrates that Russia only intends to have "profitable PR in the media".

As a reminder, a little earlier we brought you reports via Russian media of accusations from Russia that Ukraine had broken the truce.

Image source, Reuters

Some critics of Russia are interpreting Putin's so-called "Easter truce" as Moscow's attempt to keep Washington - and the US president - on side.

There have been a string of comments from White House officials in the past few weeks suggesting that US President Donald Trump is getting increasingly impatient with the lack of progress toward a peace deal.

Let's take a look at some of those remarks:

• Last month, Trump said he was "pissed off" with Putin, threatening to impose 50% tariffs on countries buying Russian oil if Moscow blocked efforts to a peace deal. However, he later excluded Russia from the list of countries targeted by US tariffs
• On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump is not going to fall into the trap of "endless negotiations" and they will know in weeks "whether Russia is serious about peace or not"
• The day before Putin's truce announcement, Trump said the US will "take a pass" on brokering further Russia-Ukraine talks if Moscow or Kyiv "make it very difficult" to reach a peace deal

Quieter but not conclusivepublished at 11:00 British Summer Time 20 April

11:00 BST 20 April

James Waterhouse
reporting from Mykolaiv, Ukraine

Because Putin's ceasefire was announced minutes before it was due to take effect, an immediate, complete pause was always unlikely, but it has been quieter.

Does it apply to just ground attacks? Or does it include sea and air too?

Before Zelensky said there had been continued attacks in some areas, at midnight on Saturday there were no reported Russian drones or fighter jets in Ukrainian skies. That is very rare.

The only report was that a Russian ship with missile launchers had been deployed to the Black Sea.

In the southern city of Odesa, it was silent. On Friday, before Moscow’s announcement, air defences crackled throughout the night as Russian drones flew in from the direction of occupied Crimea.

It seems now both Moscow and Kyiv want to show Washington they’re serious about peace. The question of whether the Kremlin accepts Zelensky’s offer to turn this truce from a 30-hour one to a 30 day one is central to any potential path to peace.

Few Ukrainians think that is remotely possible.

We're now seeing reports that Russia's defence ministry is accusing Ukraine of breaking the truce Putin announced yesterday.

According to multiple Russian news agencies, the ministry is claiming Ukraine shot at Russian positions and launched drone attacks hundreds of times - adding that civilian casualties have subsequently occurred.

These claims have not been independently verified.

As a reminder, Putin made the announcement not long before the truce was to come into effect. As he did so, he set out an expectation that Kyiv would follow suit.

In response, Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would mirror Russia's actions - adding that Ukraine would continue to advocate to extend the temporary ceasefire beyond Easter Sunday.

Zelensky has also accused Russia of continuing the fighting into the truce period.

Image source, Reuters

We're hearing now some more reaction from Kyiv to Putin's announcement of a truce on Saturday.

The Reuters news agency has been speaking with Ukrainians outside a cathedral in Kyiv, where they had gathered for Easter prayer.

Natalia Malaieva says an air raid alert had been issued after the announcement yesterday.

"We monitored the situation, ballistic missiles and Shahed drones flew over," she tells Reuters.

"There were explosions caused by ballistic missiles somewhere near Voznesensk. It was right after the ceasefire was announced. What kind of ceasefire is that? He [Putin] lied as he always did."

Olha Malashuk expresses a similar sentiment, suggesting "no-one believes in it" while another individual, Dmytro, shares the same thought: "They [Russians] say one thing, but do the opposite."

• These comments have been translated from Ukrainian by the Reuters news agency

Putin's announcement was a surprise but it did not come out of nowherepublished at 10:22 British Summer Time 20 April

10:22 BST 20 April

Steve Rosenberg
reporting from Moscow, Russia

When President Putin announced this surprise truce, he claimed he was motivated by "humanitarian” considerations.

In Ukraine, that word will have been greeted with deep scepticism after more than three years of Russia's war against the country.

Kremlin critics call this short ceasefire a PR effort, viewing it as a limited attempt to persuade President Trump that Russia is serious about peace.

Keep in mind, the Americans had pushed for a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire from both Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine agreed to that, but Russia didn't.

Instead, Russia has come up with a 30-hour ceasefire. What’s more, it did so without any warning, giving little time for either side to fully prepare for this.

But the ceasefire did not come out of nowhere. There has been a lot of diplomatic activity in recent weeks to try to end the fighting in Ukraine.

On top of that, the White House has been dropping hints it's getting impatient, that it wants to see progress, otherwise it might walk away from the table.

Image source, EPA

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has posted a number of updates on social media since Putin's announcement yesterday.

Notably, he wrote this morning:

The Ukrainian president, citing his commander-in-chief, refers to 19 "assault actions" and 387 instances of shelling between the start of Putin's truce, at 18:00 local time (16:00 BST), and midnight (22:00 BST).

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these figures.

"Ukraine will continue to act in a mirror manner," the president says.

Zelensky continues by saying Ukraine's previous proposal to extend a truce for 30 days - beyond the truce's end time of midnight tonight - remains open.

As a reminder, prior to Putin's announcement, Zelensky had condemned the fighting that had taken place on Good Friday.

"This is how Russia began this Good Friday - with ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, Shaheds - maiming our people and cities," he said in a post on the social media platform X.

Image source, Reuters

Putin's so-called temporary "Easter truce" mainly takes place across Easter Sunday.

This year, Easter has fallen on the same day in the two calendars used by Russia and Ukraine.

As a reminder, in 2023 Ukraine shifted away from the Julian calendar, which is used by Russia, to the Western - or Gregorian - calendar.

Ukrainians have been out this morning attending church services and celebrations. Here are some of the images we've seen from Bucha and Chernihiv.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Jack Burgess
Live page editor

There was a surprise Easter announcement from the Russian president yesterday.

Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to “stop all military activity” for 30 hours, from 16:00 BST (18:00 local time) on Saturday until 22:00 BST (midnight in Moscow) on Sunday.

In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv is willing to adhere to the truce but accused Russia of breaking it.

"The Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine," he said.

The BBC's Ukrainian correspondent James Waterhouse, who is in Mykolaiv, has said that because of the vagueness of Putin’s announced ceasefire, an immediate, complete pause was always unlikely. But he adds that it has been quieter on the front lines.

The Kremlin's move came shortly after US President Donald Trump said the US will “take a pass” on brokering further Russia-Ukraine talks if either make it “very difficult” to reach a peace deal.

I'm here with my colleagues Rorey Bosotti, Neha Gohil, Cachella Smith and Zahra Fatima in our London newsroom. We'll bring you the latest breaking news, as well as analysis from our colleagues in Ukraine and Russia.

Adam Goldsmith
Live reporter

Image source, Reuters

Easter celebrations across Ukraine were disrupted earlier today when Russia’s President Vladimir Putin suddenly announced a ceasefire until 22:00 BST tomorrow (midnight in Moscow).

Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky responded by saying he would “mirror” Russia’s move, but then challenged Putin to agree to the 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire proposed last month to “give peace a chance”.

Putin said the truce was guided by “humanitarian considerations”, but our Russia editor says the Russian leader may be using the truce to show America that Russia is open to ending the war.

After the truce began, both Russian and Ukrainian officials say things are quieter in some regions. But fighting is still being reported tonight along parts of the frontline.

We’re still waiting to see how well the ceasefire holds overnight. For more updates, check our main news article as this live coverage wraps up.

Thank you for following along.

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, today's truce is linked to Easter.

Right now, both Russia and Ukraine are holding midnight Easter services.

It's unusual for this to happen, as this year Easter falls on the same day for both Orthodox and Western churches.

This is due to a rare alignment of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, which are used by each church.

Ukraine had traditionally followed the Julian calendar, like Russia. But in a move away from Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law in July 2023. The Ukrainian president said this change allowed Ukrainians to "abandon the Russian heritage".

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

We've just had another update from Volodymyr Zelensky, who says that "fighting continues" in the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod.

Citing a report from his commander-in-chief, Zelensky suggests that "Easter statements by Putin did not extend to this territory".

"Russian artillery can still be heard in certain directions of the front, regardless of the Russian leader's promise of silence," he adds, noting that the situation "has become quieter" in some areas.

Zelensky repeats that a proposal for a 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire "remains on the table" and says that Ukraine's actions are "symmetrical" to Russia's.

• For context, Ukrainian troops crossed the border into Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions, and have held parts of the territory, hoping to use them as bargaining chips in possible peace talks. But Putin has said Russia is back in control in many parts of the territory

Ukraine's Kherson region head Oleksandr Prokudin says the area is under attack following the start Putin’s proposed Easter truce.

Prokudin says that at around 18:00 local time (15:00 GMT), there were at least three strikes in the region, and a high-rise building in Kherson’s Dniprovskyi district caught fire.

Meanwhile, the head of Zaporizhia region says that at about 20:10 local time, a man was injured in a drone attack in a village after his car was struck.

Ukraine has been accused of "violating" the truce declared by Russia's President Vladimir Putin.

In a Telegram post, the Russian-installed leader of Ukraine's southern Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, suggests that Ukraine's armed forces "continue to strike peaceful cities" in Kherson.

Saldo suggests that "in a number of areas there is silence, no shelling", which he claims is evidence that some in the Ukrainian military "heard the call for peace and retained their humanity".

But Saldo says that drone, mortar and UAV drops have been recorded in Aleshki, Hola Prystan and Kashkova.

The BBC has not independently verified these reports.

As we reported earlier, Putin's Easter truce has not prevented air-raid sirens from sounding around the Ukrainian capital tonight.

No damage or injuries have been reported, but the video below shows the warnings of missile attacks playing out in Kyiv.

Hanna Chornous
BBC News, Kyiv

Ukrainian commentators are sceptical about Russia's intentions.

"I'd like to remind you that it is the same [person] who declared an Easter truce and swore Russia would never attack Ukraine," former MP Boryslav Bereza said on Facebook.

Journalist Yuriy Butusov points out that there was no mention of any monitoring and control of the ceasefire in Putin's statement. "Such 'truces', as the experience of the war in Donbas taught, always turn into a firefight. And Putin will, as always, blame Ukraine for the violation," he says.

"It is physically impossible to stop the fighting on such a long frontline without systematic and coordinated work. Thousands of soldiers will not even find out about any 'statement' or 'order'," notes Andriy Tkachuk, serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.Activist Dmytro Bykov says: "There is no trust that [Putin] will voluntarily stop the war. The war will continue, plan your life accordingly."

Image source, Getty Images

It's just after 22:30 local time (19:30 GMT) in Kyiv, where air-raid sirens have reportedly sounded in this evening, AFP news agency reports.

This is despite the start of Vladimir Putin's Easter truce, which the Russian president suggested would see fighting halt until 21:00 GMT (00:00 Moscow time) tomorrow.

AFP says its journalists in the Ukrainian capital received an air-raid alert message and were told to proceed to shelters by sirens shortly before 22:00 local time due to a "missile threat" in the region.