KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of creating a deceptive portrayal of honoring an Easter ceasefire. He asserted that Moscow continued to carry out attacks overnight despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a unilateral temporary truce in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy revealed that as of Easter morning, the Russian army seemed to attempt building a general impression of a ceasefire; however, in various locations, it continued to make individual moves to advance and inflict losses on Ukrainian forces. This statement was made in a post on X, the social media platform.
Despite Putin's declaration of a ceasefire on Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian forces recorded 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults along the front lines, along with numerous drone strikes. He insisted that Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine's offer to extend the truce for an additional 30 days, commencing at midnight on Sunday.
Zelenskyy declared that the proposal “remains on the table” and emphasized that Ukraine would act according to the actual situation on the ground. He noted that certain areas experienced quieter conditions following the ceasefire announcement, suggesting that Putin was the “true cause” of the war. He highlighted, “As soon as Putin gave an order to scale back the attacks, the intensity of strikes and killings dropped. The only source of this war and its prolongation is in Russia,” in another message on X.
Meanwhile, Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson claimed that Ukrainian forces persisted in their attacks. Just hours after announcing the ceasefire, Putin attended an Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, where Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a vocal supporter of Putin and the war in Ukraine, led the ceremony.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire was set to last from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday until midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday. Putin provided no details regarding how the ceasefire would be monitored or whether it would encompass airstrikes or ongoing ground battles, which continue to occur around the clock.
His announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump remarked that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side was “playing” him in his push to end the prolonged conflict that has entered its third year.
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