Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy yesterday said Russian forces were continuing their shelling and assaults along the front line despite Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a surprise but brief Easter truce.
The 30-hour truce would be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict.
However, just hours after the order was meant to have come into effect, air-raid sirens sounded in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian regions, with Zelenskiy accusing Russia of having maintained its attacks.
Photo: AFP
“Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and five assaults by Russian units,” Zelenskiy said on social media, citing a report as of 6am from Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky.
In the six hours up to midnight on Saturday, there were “387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces,” with drones “used by Russians 290 times,” Zelenskiy said.
“Overall, as of Easter morning, we can state that the Russian army is attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelenskiy’s post said.
Putin’s order to halt all combat over the Easter weekend came after months of efforts by US President Donald Trump to get Moscow and Kyiv to agree a ceasefire.
On Friday, Washington even threatened to withdraw from talks if no progress was made.
“Today [Saturday] from 6pm to midnight Sunday, the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Putin said in televised comments during a meeting with Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
Zelenskiy responded by saying Ukraine would follow suit, and proposed extending the truce beyond yesterday, despite accusing Russia of having already broken its promises.
“Russia must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table,” Zelenskiy’s post said.
Earlier he suggested that “30 days could give peace a chance” — while pointing out that Putin had already rejected a proposed 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire.
Putin had said the truce for the Easter holiday celebrated yesterday was motivated by “humanitarian reasons.”
While he expected Ukraine to comply, he said that Russian troops “must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy.”
Putin said the latest truce proposal would show “how sincere is the Kyiv’s regime’s readiness, its desire and ability to observe agreements and participate in a process of peace talks.”
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine in February 2022.
Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after both sides failed to agree on them.
On Saturday, Ukraine and Russia said they had each returned 246 soldiers being held as prisoners of war in a swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
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