Easter truce broken: According to President Zelensky, Ukraine reported 59 Russian attacks by Sunday morning. BILD, Welt, and Reuters report on the fragile peace.

According to Ukrainian sources, the ceasefire announced by Russia for Orthodox Easter has been violated several times. The ceasefire, which according to the Kremlin was supposed to last from 5 p.m. CEST on Saturday evening until midnight on Sunday, was hardly observed in reality. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that within the first few hours, the armed forces recorded 59 violations along the front line, including attempted attacks, shelling, and drone missions.

“By 6 a.m. on Easter Sunday alone, 387 shellings, 19 ground attacks and 290 drone flights by Russian forces were reported,” Zelensky said in a video message, which was reported by the BILD newspaper, among others. He said that this was not just targeted artillery fire, but also aerial reconnaissance and attack drones, which were actively deployed despite the ceasefire.

Zelensky accused Moscow of deliberately creating the impression of a peace gesture while actually seeking to gain military ground. The Ukrainian side had adhered to the ceasefire but had naturally responded to attacks, the president continued. According to a report in Welt am Sonntag, Kiev proposed extending the ceasefire to a total of 30 days – an idea that had originally been put forward by the US.

According to Reuters, US President Donald Trump also made a clear statement: if Russia or Ukraine undermines or delays negotiations on a long-term peace solution, Washington reserves the right to scale back its diplomatic efforts. Trump emphasized that the United States is not prepared to engage in “endless and fruitless rounds of negotiations” if no substantial movement is apparent.

The international community reacted with growing concern. Several diplomatic voices from the EU and the US again called on Moscow to uphold its part of the ceasefire – so far to no avail. Zelensky recently spoke openly of a “propaganda maneuver” that in reality only served to ward off international criticism.

Image:
Duma.gov.ru, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons