Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary "Easter truce" with Ukraine, with "all military operations" set to cease for a number of days.
The Russian President annouced on Saturday afternoon that the ceasefire will last from 4pm UK time today to Monday - and has urged Ukraine to follow suit.
"Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 6pm [Moscow time] to midnight from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce. I order all military actions to be stopped for this period."
But in an ominous warning, the Kremlin's message continued: "At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel possible violations of the truce and provocations from the enemy, any of its aggressive actions."
Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary 'Easter truce' with Ukraine
GETTY
Meanwhile, the chief of Russia's general staff, Valery Gerasimov, has been ordered to ready Russian soldiers in case Ukraine keeps fighting.
"All commanders of groups in the special military operation zone" have been told to cease combat operations, a statement from Russia's Foreign Ministry said.
"The ceasefire is being introduced for humanitarian purposes and will be observed by the Russian Joint Group of Troops (Forces), provided that it is mutually observed by the Kyiv regime."
The move marks a major olive branch to Ukraine from the Orthodox Christian Russian premier, but it comes just hours after it emerged that the US was readying up to recognise Crimea as Russian soil - which would mark a major coup for Putin.
Sources familiar with negotiations told Bloomberg that formally handing the territory to Russia, 11 years after its troops invaded it, is set to form part of a broader peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
And today's call for a truce comes three years after the United Nations proposed an Easter ceasefire in 2022 - a few months after Putin's forces invaded.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed the temporary truce for "opening a series of humanitarian corridors" and creating conditions "for the sage exit of all civilians wishing to leave the areas of confrontation" - but it never came to pass.
Ukraine said it agreed to the proposal - but Russia refused the truce "in order not to give the Kyiv nationalists a break".