Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of creating the “impression” of a cease-fire while continuing military operations in some areas of Ukraine.
In the first six hours of the “Easter truce”—as ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin—Zelensky reported 387 shellings and 19 assaults by Russian forces, with drones used 290 times. There are no reported casualties.
Putin directed his forces to “shut down all military activity” in Ukraine from 18:00 Moscow time (16:00 BST) on Saturday until midnight on Sunday. Kyiv said it would also comply.
According to the BBC in Ukraine, there has been less fighting on the front lines.
Because Putin’s ceasefire was announced just minutes before it was supposed to go into effect, an immediate, complete halt was always unlikely, but it has been quieter.
Prior to Zelensky’s statement that attacks had continued in some areas, there were no reported Russian drones or fighter jets in Ukrainian skies at midnight on Saturday.
That is exceptionally rare.
The only report was that a Russian ship equipped with missile launchers had been sent to the Black Sea.
There was silence in the southern city of Odesa. Prior to Moscow’s announcement, the air crackled all night as Russian drones flew in from the direction of occupied Crimea.
On Sunday morning, Zelensky stated that Moscow was “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.”
Zelensky accused Russia of specific military actions, stating that “everywhere our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation.”
Late on Saturday, hours after the truce began, Zelensky stated, “If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly, mirroring Russia’s actions.”
“Our actions are and will remain symmetrical. The proposal for a complete and unconditional 30-day silence remains on the table; the response must come from Moscow,” he wrote on X.
Zelensky stated that Ukraine would be willing to extend a truce beyond April 20, seemingly referring to the US’s earlier proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, to which Ukraine had already agreed.
Both Moscow and Kyiv appear to be eager to demonstrate to Washington their commitment to peace. The question of whether the Kremlin accepts Zelensky’s offer to extend the truce from 30 hours to 30 days is central to any possible path to peace.
Few Ukrainians believe this is remotely possible.
Putin announced the temporary truce during a meeting with his chief of general staff, Valery Gerasimov.
“Based on humanitarian considerations, the Russian side has declared an Easter truce. “I order a halt to all military activities for this period,” Putin told Gerasimov.
“We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops must be ready to repel potential truce violations and provocations from the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.
The Russian defense ministry stated that its troops would follow the cease-fire if it was “mutually respected” by Ukraine.
It is not the first time an unexpected pause in fighting has been declared; a previous attempt at a ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 was unsuccessful due to a lack of agreement between the two sides.
A Foreign Office spokesman in the UK responded to Putin’s truce announcement, saying, “Now is the time for Putin to truly show he is serious about peace by ending his horrible invasion and committing to a full ceasefire, as the Ukrainian government has called for – not just a one-day pause for Easter.”
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of whom were soldiers, have been killed or injured on all sides.
The United States has been directly communicating with Russia as part of its efforts to end the war but has yet to make significant progress.
Last month, Moscow rejected a US-Ukraine agreement on a full and unconditional ceasefire.
US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that unless progress was made quickly, Washington would “take a pass” on brokering further talks to end the conflict in Ukraine.
He was speaking after Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US would not “continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end,” citing “other priorities to focus on.”
“We need to determine very quickly now – and I mean in a matter of days – whether or not this is possible,” he said.
“If it is not going to happen, we will just move on.”
