Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of widespread violations of an Orthodox Easter truce as fighting continued across the front line in the fifth year of the war.
The ceasefire, which was announced by Russian president Vladimir Putin and earlier proposed by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, was intended to bring temporary relief along the 1,200-kilometre front. However, both sides reported thousands of breaches within hours of its implementation.
Ukraine’s military said that, as of Sunday morning, it had recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations by Russian forces. These included 28 assault actions, 479 shelling incidents, 747 strikes involving attack drones, and 1,045 FPV drone strikes.
Russia’s defence ministry issued a similar accusation, claiming nearly 2,000 violations by Ukrainian forces during the same period. It said Ukrainian troops carried out 258 artillery or tank strikes, 1,329 FPV drone attacks, and 375 additional strikes using various types of munitions, according to statements released.
The Russian ministry also alleged that Ukrainian forces attempted multiple offensive actions during the truce, including three nighttime attacks and four attempts to advance along the front line. Moscow said all of these were repelled.
Zelensky had called for a longer ceasefire in his evening address on Saturday, saying Ukraine had put the proposal to Russia.
The Kremlin, however, rejected any extension of the ceasefire. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any continuation would depend on Ukraine accepting Russia’s “well-known” conditions. He added that without such agreement, military operations would resume once the truce expired.
