Temporary Orthodox Easter ceasefire exchange and POW swap

Russia and Ukraine announced a 32-hour ceasefire for Orthodox Easter, effective from 16:00 on April 11 until the end of April 12. During the same period, the two nations conducted a prisoner exchange, with each side returning 175 military personnel and seven civilians, mediated by the United Arab Emirates. Following the start of the truce, Ukraine reported 469 violations by Russian forces, including drone strikes and shelling. Conversely, Russian officials in the Kursk region accused Ukrainian forces of drone attacks that injured three civilians. Additionally, regional authorities in Dnipropetrovsk reported two fatalities and multiple injuries following shelling incidents. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously proposed the ceasefire and indicated that Ukraine would respond symmetrically to Russian military actions. Moscow maintains that the truce was intended to allow for peaceful religious observance, though both sides have publicly traded blame for the breakdown of the agreement.