You missed the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes provides an update for you every evening. Here’s the essential information for this Saturday, April 11, 2026, the 1,508th day of the conflict.
Fact of the day
A ceasefire between Moscow and Kiev officially came into effect this Saturday on the Ukrainian front, on the occasion of Orthodox Easter. The Kremlin announced on Thursday that this truce would start at 4 p.m. local time and last until the end of Sunday, a period of thirty-two hours. Volodymyr Zelensky later stated that Ukraine accepted this ceasefire proposed by his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov were ordered to “cease combat operations in all directions during this period.” Ukrainians and Russians had previously accused each other of violating the previous truces.
In the hours leading up to the official ceasefire, deadly strikes between the two camps continued. In Ukraine, four people died in strikes in the east and south, according to Kiev. On the other side of the front, two people were killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on territories in the Donetsk region under Russian control, according to the authorities appointed by Moscow.
Quote of the day
“Ukraine will respect the ceasefire and strictly respond tit for tat. The absence of Russian strikes in the air, on land, and at sea will mean that there will be no response from us.“
This is the warning that Volodymyr Zelensky posted this Saturday in a message on X, a few hours before the official start of the ceasefire. A similar truce was announced last year for Orthodox Easter, but both sides claimed it was violated many times.
Vladimir Putin had unilaterally declared a brief ceasefire in May 2025 during the Victory Day celebrations against Nazi Germany. Again, the belligerents were accused of continuing the clashes.
Number of the day
350. This is the number of prisoners of war exchanged this Saturday between Russia and Ukraine, as announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense, a few hours before the Easter truce came into effect. “On April 11, 175 Russian military personnel were repatriated from territory controlled by Kiev. In return, 175 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over,” the ministry said in a statement on the Max application.
Trend
The CEO of a French company specializing in the manufacturing of machine tools was indicted for exporting these goods to Russia, in violation of embargoes imposed by the European Union, a judicial source said on Saturday, confirming information from France Info. The head of the company Huron-Graffenstaden SAS was indicted, including for smuggling dual-use civil and military goods, and was placed under judicial control, the source added.
Our coverage on the war in Ukraine
The National Antiterrorism Prosecutor’s Office (Pnat) opened a preliminary investigation on October 9, 2025, following a complaint from the Director General of Customs and after “an inspection carried out in April 2024 by the National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations,” the judicial source said. The investigations were entrusted to the National Anti-Fraud Office and the Directorate General of Internal Security.
