President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated Sunday that Russian forces have continued attacks despite a unilateral Easter ceasefire declared by Moscow.
According to Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi’s report as of 6:00 a.m. Sunday, Russian forces conducted 59 shelling instances and launched 5 assaults across various frontline directions since the supposed ceasefire began.
One combat engagement was reported in the Starobilsk sector, three in the Donetsk sector (specifically the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions), and one near Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Additionally, dozens of Russian FPV drone strikes were reported.
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The report detailed further activity between 6:00 p.m. Saturday, when the ceasefire was supposed to start, and midnight Sunday. During this period, Ukrainian officials recorded 387 instances of Russian shelling, 19 assaults, and 290 uses of drones by Russian forces. Ukrainian sources also noted Russian artillery strikes and drone usage in Russia’s own Kursk region, adjacent to Ukraine.
“Everywhere our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation,” the report attributed to Syrskyi stated, emphasizing that Ukraine would continue to act “symmetrically.”
The overall assessment from Kyiv on Easter morning is that while the Russian military may be attempting to project an image of adhering to a ceasefire, isolated offensive actions and attacks aimed at inflicting losses on Ukraine persist in certain areas. Ukrainian officials stressed that Russia must fully comply with the ceasefire conditions.
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This contrasts sharply with the announcement from Moscow on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a temporary Easter ceasefire, scheduled to run from 6:00 p.m. Moscow time Saturday until midnight between Sunday and Monday. The Kremlin Press Service quoted Putin instructing the military to halt actions “guided by humanitarian considerations,” while also urging Ukraine to reciprocate and warning that Russian troops must be ready to “repel possible violations.”
Coinciding with the ceasefire declaration on Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry, as reported by the Associated Press, claimed its forces had captured the village of Oleshnya in Russia’s Kursk region on the border with Ukraine, dislodging Ukrainian troops.
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Ukraine maintains that its proposal for a full ceasefire, potentially extendable for 30 days if adhered to, remains under consideration, but its actions will be dictated by the “actual situation on the ground.” The ongoing reports of Russian attacks cast significant uncertainty over the viability and observance of the declared truce.
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