Thanks for following our updates on what’s been a busy day of developments.
We’re pausing our protection for now – earlier than we go, this is a abstract of all of the day’s key updates:
Vladimir Putin introduced Russia will stop “all army operations” as a part of an “Easter truce” in Ukraine.
The 30-hour pause was unveiled by the Russian president throughout his assembly with the chief of the nation’s basic workers, through which he stated “I order all army actions to be stopped for this era”.
Moscow stated it assumed Kyiv would “comply with our instance” after Putin’s announcement.
We have since heard from Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has accused Russia of continuous assaults on “a number of frontline sectors”.
The Ukrainian president stated Russian artillery hearth has not subsided, and there may be “no belief in phrases coming from Moscow”.
He added that Ukraine will mirror Russia’s actions, insisting there shall be “silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to assaults”.
Zelenskyy additionally hit out on the size of Putin’s pause, saying “30 hours is sufficient to make headlines, however not for real confidence-building measures”.
He went on to name for a 30-day pause, stating it might “give peace an opportunity”.
Away from the “Easter truce”, Russia and Ukraine have swapped a whole bunch of prisoners within the conflict’s largest change.
Watch: Russia and Ukraine swap a whole bunch of prisoners
Russia’s defence ministry stated 246 Russian servicemen had been returned “from the territory managed by the Kyiv regime”.
In the meantime, Zelenskyy stated “one other 277 warriors have returned residence from Russian captivity” – that determine contains 31 wounded prisoners of conflict transferred in change for 15 wounded Russian servicemen in want of pressing medical care.