The short-term order for Russia’s troops to halt all combat activity — which Ukraine has not said if it will match — comes after months of US President Donald Trump pushing both Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce.
He has so far failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin and the US has threatened to withdraw from talks if no progress is made.
“Today from 1800 (1500 GMT) to midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday), the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Putin said in televised comments during a meeting with the Russian chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.
Air raid alerts blasted across Ukraine on Saturday afternoon, including in the capital Kyiv, but ended right as Putin’s order apparently came into force.
Easter, a major holiday for Christians, is celebrated on Sunday.
Putin said the truce was motivated by “humanitarian reasons”.
“We are going on the basis that the Ukrainian side will follow our example, while our troops must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy,” Putin said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a social media post responded with scepticism, accusing Putin of attempting to “play with human lives”.
He did not say whether Ukraine would halt fighting during the period.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that Putin’s statements could not be trusted and Ukraine was waiting for “actions, not words” after Putin earlier rejected a proposed 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire.
Andriy Kovalenko, a Ukrainian official tasked with countering disinformation, posted on X that “Russians on all fronts keep firing as they did before. Most of all in the East.”
In the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk close to the front line, soldiers told AFP that any truce would not have a lasting impact.
Putin “might do it to give some hope or to show his humanity. But either way, of course, we don’t trust (Russia),” said Dmitry, a 40-year-old soldier.