KIEV — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of pretending to honor an Easter ceasefire while continuing its attacks. He stated that despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a unilateral temporary truce, military actions persisted.
Zelenskyy expressed that while Russian forces tried to portray a ceasefire, they continued their operations in some areas, resulting in losses for Ukraine. He reported that Ukrainian forces faced 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults along the front line on Easter morning, in addition to numerous drone strikes.
In later updates, Zelenskyy indicated that even with Ukraine’s responsive measures to Russian activities, the Russians continued to escalate their use of heavy weaponry. However, he noted a positive aspect: there were no air raid sirens that day.
Tragically, some Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives in a “ambush” by Russian troops in the Donetsk region, and Zelenskyy vowed that those responsible would be dealt with.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed that Ukrainian forces launched nighttime attacks in Donetsk, despite the declared ceasefire. They asserted that Ukraine sent 48 drones into Russian territory, with reported civilian casualties, while insisting that their troops were abiding by the ceasefire.
Additionally, Russian-installed officials in the partially occupied Kherson region reported that Ukrainian forces had carried out attacks as well.
Zelenskyy reiterated that Russia must fully comply with the ceasefire conditions and extended Ukraine’s offer to prolong the truce by 30 days from midnight Sunday, stating that this proposal is still open for discussion and would depend on the actual situation on the ground.
He mentioned that Russia either lacks control over its military or is unwilling to genuinely seek a resolution to end the war, showing more interest in public relations than in peace.
Within hours of Putin’s ceasefire announcement, he attended an Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, a strong supporter of both Putin and the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin stated that the ceasefire would take effect from Saturday at 6 PM Moscow time until midnight following Easter Sunday, but details on how it would be monitored were absent.
Putin’s announcement came after former U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were at a vital stage and emphasized that neither side was attempting to manipulate the situation.
