Russsian troops have continued to attack Ukraine following Vladimir Putin’s callls for an Easter truce, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“As of now, according to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided,” Zelensky said in a social media post. The Ukrainian leader also said any potential Russian strike “will be met with an appropriate response”.
Putin announced a temporary Easter ceasefire in Ukraine today because of “humanitarian consideration” earlier today. According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6pm on Saturday to midnight on Easter Sunday, both Moscow time.
“Guided by humanitarian considerations, today from 18.00 to 00.00 from Sunday to Monday, the Russian side declares an Easter truce. I order that all military actions be stopped for this period,” Putin said at a meeting with chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov, the Kremlin’s press service quoted him as saying.
Zelensky proposed “mirroring” Russia‘s if it does observe a ceasefire. “If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly,” he said, adding there would be “silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to attacks”.
He also suggested Putin’s proposed ceasefire period could be extended “because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures”. Talks about a possible peace have faltered since Moscow rejected a ceasefire proposal that had been agreed by the US and Ukraine last month.
In an update later in the evening, Zelensky said “hostilities” continued in the Kursk and Belgorod regions in Russia. “Easter statements by Putin did not extend to this territory,” said Zelensky, addin “Russian artillery can still be heard in certain directions of the front, regardless of the Russian leader’s promise of silence”. He also said the situation “has become quieter” in some areas”.
A senior Ukrainian miltary officer told the BBC’s Russia service earlier this evening that Ukrainian troops were ordered to cease firing on Russian positions a short time after Putin’s announcement. They also said Ukraine’s soldiers were ordered to document photo and video evidence of Russian troops breaching a ceasefire. They were ordered to return fire if necessary.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, said after the Kremlin announcement that “the Russians keep firing on all fronts — just like before”. He wrote in a post on X: “The heaviest shelling is in the East. So much for Putin’s so-called ‘ceasefire’. He never meant to keep it.” Further reports said that Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region head said a man was injured when his car was struck in a drone attack in a village.
Just after 9pm local time, the Ukrainian air force issued a warning about the potential threat of “ballistic weapons in areas where air alert has been delcared”. A Telegram messaging app threat used for reporting air alerts in Ukraine said there were alarms in Kyiv city and region and the regions of Luhansk and Kharkiv at around 9:53pm local time.
Putin’s announcement today came amid growing frustrations in the Trump administration about a lack of progress in peace talks. US President Donald Trump on Friday said negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and insisted that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding three-year war.
Trump spoke shortly after secretary of state Marco Rubio warned that the US may “move on” from trying to secure a Russia-Ukraine peace deal if there is no progress in the coming days, after months of efforts have failed to bring an end to the fighting.
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson told the Mirror: “Now is the moment 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. Because we have seen before how the Kremlin has targeted Ukrainian cities during observance of religious holidays such as when they killed several dozen civilians in Sumy on Palm Sunday, and nine children in Kryvyi Rih on 4 April. “
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