Ukraine and Russia blamed each other on Sunday for breaking the one-day Easter ceasefire that President Vladimir Putin announced, with both sides accusing the other of launching attacks overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of creating a false appearance of honoring the Easter ceasefire, saying his country’s forces had recorded 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults by units along the front line, as well as dozens of drone strikes.
“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,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
In a later update, Zelenskyy said that despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, there had been an increase in Russian shelling and drone attacks since 10 a.m. local time. He said, however, that it was “a good thing, at least, that there were no air raid sirens.”
“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,” he wrote.
Iryna Rybakova/Ukraine’s 93rd Mechanized Brigade via AP
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian forces launched overnight attacks in the Donetsk region and had sent 48 drones into Russian territory.
According to the ministry, there were “dead and wounded among the civilian population,” without giving details. It claimed Russian troops had strictly observed the ceasefire.
Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also said that Ukrainian forces continued their attacks.
Contributor/Getty Images
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to midnight following Easter Sunday. Putin offered no details on how the ceasefire would be monitored or whether it would cover airstrikes or ongoing ground battles that rage around the clock.
The apparent failure to observe even an Easter ceasefire comes after President Trump said Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding three-year war.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump said he hopes Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week.
“BOTH WILL THEN START TO DO BIG BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHICH IS THRIVING, AND MAKE A FORTUNE!” he wrote on Truth Social.
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