Both Russia, Ukraine allege Easter ceasefire violations

ISTANBUL

Moscow and Kyiv on Sunday accused each other of violating a unilateral Easter ceasefire declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier.

Posting on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of continuing to launch attacks on his country despite the ceasefire, including claiming an increase in the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces.

"From the beginning of the day until 4:00 p.m., there have been a total of 46 Russian assaults across various directions and 901 instances of shelling, 448 of which involved heavy weaponry," he said on X, claiming that more than 400 cases of Russian drone use have been recorded.

Claiming that the highest level of Russian combat activity during the ceasefire is in the Pokrovsk front in the country's eastern Donetsk region, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops situated in the Toretsk front, also in Donetsk, fell into a Russian ambush.

"Some servicemen have been killed. The Russian soldiers responsible for this will be eliminated," Zelenskyy added but gave no further details on the ambush.

The president went on to say that Kyiv will continue to act during the ceasefire in a "fully symmetrical manner," reiterating his accusations of Moscow being the source of the years-long conflict and the reason it drags on.

"We are ready to move toward peace and a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire that could last for at least 30 days – but there has been no response from Russia on that so far.

"The situation on the frontline shows that pressure on Moscow and real oversight of the actions of the occupying forces are needed for the ceasefire to be established," he said.

In a morning statement on X, Zelenskyy accused Moscow of attempting to create a “general impression” of a ceasefire, saying that Moscow must fully comply with its conditions.

Late Saturday, Zelenskyy also claimed that fighting between Moscow and Kyiv continued in Russia’s border regions of Kursk and Belgorod.

On Saturday, Putin declared a 30-hour unilateral ceasefire in the ongoing war, arguing that its success or failure would show Ukraine’s readiness to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

In response, Zelenskyy said his country would be mirroring Russia’s actions, adding that Kyiv proposes extending the pause “if a complete ceasefire truly takes hold.”

Russia's take

Elsewhere, Moscow voiced its own accusations of ceasefire violations, claiming that Kyiv launched overnight attacks on its military positions near the front-line settlements of Sukha Balka and Bahatyr, both located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Claiming that all Russian troops have been strictly observing the ceasefire since its announcement, a Russian Defense Ministry statement accused Ukraine of launching 48 drones in an overnight attack.

The statement further accused Ukraine of attacking its military positions using gun and mortar fire 444 times since the start of the ceasefire.

It also claimed that Kyiv carried out 900 drone attacks, as well as dropped munitions on border areas in Russia’s Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions.

“As a result, there are civilian casualties and injuries, as well as damage to civilian objects,” it added.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large, claimed on Telegram that Kyiv launched multiple strikes on Moscow-controlled territories in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, and Luhansk regions since the start of the ceasefire.

Later, on a political talk show, Miroshnik said reports of alleged Ukrainian violations continue to arrive, arguing that this shows Kyiv’s inability to halt hostilities.