See pics: Russia, Ukraine conduct largest prisoner swap since war began

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday confirmed they had exchanged hundreds of prisoners in the largest such swap since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion over three years ago. (Photo: X)

Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 246 of its soldiers were brought back from Ukrainian-controlled territory.
In return, 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war were released, described as a "gesture of goodwill" in exchange for 15 injured Russian troops needing urgent medical attention. (Photo: X)

In this image, Putin is seen speaking with Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on Saturday. (Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, citing humanitarian concerns, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday. (Photo: AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the return of 277 Ukrainian "warriors" from Russian captivity.
Zelenskyy called the ceasefire “another attempt by Putin to play with human lives."

He wrote on X that “air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” and “Shahed drones in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and toward human life.”

It remained uncertain on Saturday night if the combat had ceased. Roughly 60 minutes after the ceasefire was meant to begin, Ukrainian defence official Andriy Kovalenko reported via Telegram that "the Russians continue to fire in all directions, as before. Most of all in the East."

Putin's ceasefire proposal appeared to serve dual purposes: demonstrating to President Donald Trump that Russia was taking peace initiatives whilst simultaneously creating a difficult position for Zelenskyy.

This development followed the Trump administration's expression of frustration regarding Russia's reluctance to accept a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine had indicated its willingness to observe in March.