Putin declares Easter ceasefire in Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced an Easter truce in the conflict in Ukraine, according to the Kremlin, Al Jazeera reported.

The unilateral cessation of hostilities will begin on Saturday at 6 pm local time (21:00 GMT) and run until midnight on Monday, April 21, the Kremlin said.

It added that Russia expected Ukraine to follow suit and cease all fire during this period over Easter.