The Kremlin announced on Thursday that this truce would start on Saturday at 4 pm (1 pm GMT) and would last until the end of Sunday, a period of 32 hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later accepted this ceasefire proposed by his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
By 7 am (2 pm GMT) this Sunday, “2,299 violations of the ceasefire have been recorded, namely: 28 enemy assaults, 479 artillery bombardments, 747 attack drone strikes (“Lancet”, “Molniya”), and 1,045 FPV drone strikes,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in a report posted on Facebook. “There have been no missile attacks, guided aerial bombs, or Shahed type drones,” it continued.
However, Moscow accused Kiev of violating the Easter truce 1,971 times. “A total of 1,971 violations of the ceasefire by units of the Ukrainian armed forces have been recorded,” stated the Russian Defense Ministry, as reported by the TASS news agency.
Zelensky requests an extension of the ceasefire
In the Russian region of Kursk, bordering Ukraine, Governor Alexander Khinchtean accused Kiev of violating the truce by attacking a gas station in the town of Lgov with a drone, resulting in three injuries, including a child.
Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier warned that Ukraine would respond “blow for blow” to any Russian violation of this truce. In his daily address, he stated that it would be “appropriate” to extend this ceasefire, mentioning that he had made this “proposal” to Moscow.
Efforts to end the conflict triggered by the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine over four years ago have been stalled in recent weeks due to the war in the Middle East.
A similar truce was announced in Ukraine last year for Orthodox Easter, but both sides accused each other of violating it numerous times.
Kiev has long demanded a prolonged ceasefire to facilitate negotiations for a hypothetical agreement to end the war. However, Moscow rejects this idea, arguing that a longer pause would allow the Ukrainian army to strengthen.
In recent months, several negotiation cycles under the auspices of the United States have failed to bring Ukraine and Russia closer to an agreement, with the process further entangled as Washington’s focus shifted towards Iran.
The Russian government demands territorial and political concessions from the Ukrainian government, which Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected, likening them to surrender.
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