India, April 10 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a temporary halt to military operations in Ukraine for the Orthodox Easter holiday, the Kremlin announced Thursday. The ceasefire will take effect at 4 p.m. local time on April 11 and last through April 12, giving both sides a brief pause after four years of grinding warfare.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had floated the idea of a holiday truce earlier this week, passing a proposal through American intermediaries. But until now, Moscow had given no indication it was willing to step back from the battlefield.

Russia-Ukraine War Updates: A Fragile Pause, Not a Breakthrough

The Kremlin said its troops have been instructed to stop fighting in all directions. But it al...