The temporary cessation of hostilities will help the Russian Armed Forces to strengthen defense structures before Ukraine's counteroffensive. "Out of respect for the Orthodox religion," the Kremlin can announce a cessation of hostilities, but, as analysts note, Russia has not shown such respect in the occupied areas.
Russian President Vladimir Putin may propose a truce during the celebration of Orthodox Easter, which this year falls on April 16, and thus slow down the expected counteroffensive of Ukraine. This is reported in the summary of the Institute for the Study of War for April 9.
At the same time, analysts reminded that although this may be done "out of respect for the Orthodox religion", Russia did not show respect in the occupied areas. First of all, the Kremlin announced a truce for Christmas, but representatives of Kyiv did not accept such a proposal. At that time, ISW analysts assessed the move of the Russian leadership as an opportunity to influence the situation on the battlefield.
The Kremlin may call for an Easter truce, the message emphasizes, because such a pause would help Russian troops.
"This will not only provide a military advantage, but also support Moscow's information operation, which paints the image of Putin as a defender of the Christian faith," military researchers said.
According to estimates, the possibility of a temporary cessation of hostilities will also help the Russian Armed Forces to seize Bakhmut and strengthen defensive structures in case of a counteroffensive of the Armed Forces.
We will remind that before the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces, Russian soldiers began to surrender more often. On April 7, it became known that the number of captured Russians had doubled.
Earlier it was reported that the Russians in the south are creating a "human shield" from the local population. Nataliya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the press service of the Southern Defense Forces, stated this on April 8.
