Ukraine and Russia blamed each other on Sunday for breaking the one-day Easter ceasefire announced by President Vladimir Putin, with both accusing the other of launching attacks overnight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of giving the appearance of honoring the Easter ceasefire, claiming that his country’s forces had recorded 59 instances of Russian shelling, five assaults by front-line units, and 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 wrote in a message to X.
In a later update, Zelenskyy stated that, despite Ukraine’s declaration of a symmetrical response to Russian actions, Russian shelling and drone attacks had increased since 10 a.m., local time. He did, however, state that it was “a good thing, at least, 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,” according to his words.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces launched overnight attacks in the Donetsk region, sending 48 drones into Russian territory.
The ministry stated that there were “dead and wounded among the civilian population,” but did not provide further details. It claimed that Russian troops had strictly followed the ceasefire.
Russian-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also stated that Ukrainian forces continued to attack.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday to midnight the following Easter Sunday. Putin provided no information on how the ceasefire would be monitored, or whether it would cover airstrikes or ongoing ground battles that continue around the clock.
The apparent failure to observe even an Easter ceasefire comes after President Trump stated on Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his efforts to end the grinding three-year conflict.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump expressed his hope that Russia and Ukraine will reach an agreement 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 in an interview with Truth Social.