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CHERNIHIV REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine said it would reciprocate immoderate genuine ceasefire by Moscow, but voiced skepticism aft Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a impermanent Easter truce successful Ukraine starting Saturday.
The announcement from Kyiv came arsenic Russia and Ukraine conducted their largest captive speech since Moscow’s full-scale penetration started implicit 3 years ago. Putin announced a impermanent Easter ceasefire successful Ukraine starting Saturday, citing humanitarian reasons. According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire volition past from 6 p.m. Moscow clip (1500 GMT) connected Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) pursuing Easter Sunday.
Putin offered nary details connected however the ceasefire would beryllium monitored oregon whether it would screen airstrikes oregon ongoing crushed battles that rage astir the clock.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said if Russia is genuinely acceptable to observe a afloat and unconditional ceasefire, Ukraine volition reflector that attack and onslaught lone successful defense.
He said specified a gesture, peculiarly implicit the Easter weekend, could uncover Moscow’s existent intentions.
“If a afloat ceasefire genuinely takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond Easter Day connected April 20,” Zelenskyy said connected Telegram. “That volition uncover Russia’s existent intentions, arsenic 30 hours are capable for headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures.”
Zelenskyy added that, according to subject reports, Russian assaults and artillery occurrence continued on parts of the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) agelong beforehand line.
In effect to the ceasefire announcement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Kyiv had successful March “agreed unconditionally to the U.S. connection of a afloat interim ceasefire for 30 days,” which Russia rejected.
“Putin has present made statements astir his alleged readiness for a ceasefire. 30 hours alternatively of 30 days,” Sybiha continued, penning connected X. “Unfortunately, we person had a agelong past of his statements not matching his actions.”
Putin's ceasefire announcement came aft U.S. President Donald Trump connected Friday said negotiations betwixt Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither broadside is “playing” him successful his propulsion to extremity the grinding three-year war.
Largest POW speech truthful acold
The 2 sides meantime exchanged hundreds of POWs connected Saturday. Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that 246 Russian work members were returned from Ukraine, and 31 wounded Ukrainian POWs were transferred successful speech for 15 wounded Russian soldiers successful request of urgent aesculapian care.
Zelenskyy said that 277 Ukrainian “warriors" person returned location from Russian captivity.
Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for their mediation.
Most of the Ukrainians freed successful the latest captive speech are young radical calved aft 2000, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said Friday.
Outside a infirmary successful Ukraine’s Northern Chernihiv region, wherever precocious freed POWs were brought aft the speech astatine the border, dozens of relatives stood waiting.
Among them was 48-year-old Nataliia Lohvynchuk, who rushed toward the autobus the infinitesimal it arrived. She hadn’t seen her lad successful 3 years, since helium was captured during the conflict for Mariupol successful the outpouring of 2022.
Her son, 23-year-old Ihor Lohvynchuk, mislaid astir 40 kilograms (88 pounds) successful captivity. “It inactive doesn’t consciousness real,” helium said softly. “We’re not truly present yet. We each made it back, but we’re inactive not here.
His mother, flooded with emotion and embracing her son, issued a plea: “We telephone connected the full world, connected each state — assistance america bring each our boys home.”
Thousands of POWs stay successful captivity. The speech is the 4th this twelvemonth and the 63rd since the commencement of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Since the outbreak of the war, a full of 4,552 Ukrainians, some subject and civilians, person been returned from captivity.
Russia says its forces person retaken astir each of Kursk
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday its forces pushed Ukrainian troops from the colony of Oleshnya, 1 of their past remaining footholds successful Russia’s Kursk region, wherever the Ukrainians staged a astonishment incursion past year.
Gerasimov said Saturday successful a study to Putin, quoted by Russian authorities media, that Russia had retaken astir each of the territory from Ukrainian forces.
“The main portion of the region’s territory, wherever the penetration took place, has present been liberated. This is 1,260 quadrate kilometers, 99.5%,” Gerasimov said.
Zelenskyy wrote connected X that Ukrainian forces “continued their enactment connected the territory of the Kursk portion and are holding their positions.” Ukraine besides claimed that it holds a beingness beyond the Kursk portion successful Russian territory with an purpose of preventing the violative connected the Sumy portion and to combat connected enemy's soil.
The Associated Press was incapable to verify the assertion instantly from Russia.
According to the Russian authorities quality bureau Tass, Russia is inactive warring to propulsion Ukrainian forces retired of the colony of Gornal, immoderate 7 miles (11 kilometers) southbound of Oleshnya.
In different developments, the Ukrainian aerial unit reported that Russia fired 87 exploding drones and decoys successful the latest question of attacks overnight into Saturday. It said 33 of them were intercepted and different 36 were lost, apt having been electronically jammed.
Russian attacks damaged farms successful the Odesa portion and sparked fires successful the Sumy portion overnight, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Saturday. Fires were contained, and nary casualties were reported.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, said its aerial defence systems changeable down 2 Ukrainian drones overnight into Saturday.
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Follow AP’s sum of the warfare successful Ukraine astatine https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
