"Guided by humanitarian principles, the Russian side declares an Easter truce [...] spanning Sunday to Monday. I order to halt all military operations for this period," he stated.
"Our troops must be ready to repel any potential truce violations, provocations, or aggressive actions by the enemy. As you [Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov] have reported, the Kiev regime has breached the agreement not to target energy infrastructure over a hundred times. Therefore, I ask you to maintain the utmost attentiveness and readiness to respond swiftly and decisively to any threats," Putin said.
"Our decision on the Easter truce will show how sincere the readiness of the Kiev regime is and its desire, and even its ability to comply with the agreements, to participate in the process of peace talks aimed at eliminating the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis," he said.
"The "Sever" battlegroup is conducting an offensive to liberate the areas of Kursk Region where the Ukrainian armed forces invaded. The bulk of the territory of the region, where there was an invasion, has now been liberated - this is 1,260 square kilometers, 99.5%. There are still two areas where fighting is going on. These are the areas of the settlements of Oleshnya and Hornal. They are located directly near the border with Ukraine," he said.