Russia’s Vladimir Putin has announced a 32-hour Easter ceasefire in the Ukraine war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signalling support for the temporary pause. The truce is expected to begin Saturday evening and last until Sunday midnight during Orthodox Easter. The ceasefire comes even as intense fighting continues across the front lines. Ukraine claims Russian forces lost more than 1,100 troops in just 24 hours, while Moscow says it captured two villages in eastern Ukraine. Both sides previously accused each other of violating a similar Easter truce last year, raising doubts about whether this pause will hold.

Amid Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, a strike hit the Bilorichenska coal mine in Russian-controlled Luhansk, damaging a power substation and leaving 41 miners trapped underground. The blast disrupted electricity supply critical for ventilation, lighting and lift access inside the mine.