On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly criticized Russia for allegedly creating a deceptive appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire. Zelenskyy asserted that the Russian military continued to launch attacks even after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce. In a post shared on X, Zelenskyy stated, “As of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places, it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine.”
Despite Putin's declaration of a ceasefire on Saturday, President Zelenskyy reported on Sunday morning that Ukrainian forces had documented 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults by Russian units along the front lines. Additionally, there were numerous drone strikes recorded. Zelenskyy later updated that there had been an increase in Russian shelling and drone attacks since 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), even as he noted a silver lining: “a good thing, at least, that there were no air raid sirens.”
In his statements, Zelenskyy raised concerns about the level of control that Putin has over the Russian military. He remarked, “In practice, either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favorable PR coverage.”
President Zelenskyy reiterated that Russia must fully comply with the ceasefire conditions and highlighted Ukraine’s proposal to extend the truce for an additional 30 days, starting at midnight Sunday. He emphasized that this proposal “remains on the table” and asserted, “We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground.”
On Saturday night, Zelenskyy noted that some areas experienced relative quiet following the ceasefire announcement, which he interpreted as evidence that Putin is the “true cause” of the war. He stated, “As soon as Putin gave an order to scale back the attacks, the intensity of strikes and killings dropped. The only source of this war and its prolongation is in Russia.”
In response to the ceasefire, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Sunday that Ukrainian forces launched overnight attacks in the Donetsk region and sent 48 drones into Russian territory. The ministry reported that there were “dead and wounded among the civilian population,” although it did not provide specific details. It asserted that Russian troops had strictly observed the ceasefire.
Just hours after announcing the ceasefire, President Putin attended an Easter service on Saturday at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, led by Patriarch Kirill, who is a notable supporter of Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The Kremlin announced that the ceasefire would last from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday. However, Putin did not provide details on how the ceasefire would be monitored or whether it would apply to aerial bombardments or the continuous ground battles that persist around the clock.
The ceasefire announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump commented that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and stressed that neither side is “playing” him in his efforts to conclude the protracted three-year war. As the situation continues to evolve, the focus remains on the actions of both Russia and Ukraine in the days following the ceasefire declaration.
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