Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of violating the Easter truce that was announced without prior warning by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In a surprise move on Saturday, Putin said he had ordered his forces to “stop all military activity” from 6 p.m. Moscow time that day until midnight on Monday.
The announcement was met with immediate skepticism from Ukraine, although Kyiv agreed to the truce.
Putin’s truce came just hours after the Russian military announced that it had pushed Ukraine’s troops out of one of their last remaining footholds in the southern Russian region of Kursk.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s military had recorded an increase in Russian shelling and the use of drones since 10 a.m. local time Sunday.
“In practice, either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favorable PR coverage.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Earlier on Sunday, the Ukrainian leader said that while there were 387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russia overnight, the Russian army was “attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine.”
However, by mid-afternoon, Zelensky cited a report from Ukraine’s Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who said the use of heavy weapons by Russian troops was increasing.
“Between the beginning of the day and 4 p.m., a total of 46 Russian assault actions in various directions and 901 attacks took place, and of this number, 448 were made with heavy weapons. More than four hundred uses of (drones) by Russians have already been recorded.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
He added that in Russia’s Kursk region – the scene of a shock Ukrainian incursion last year – Moscow’s forces conducted artillery strikes and used drones. “Everywhere our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine will continue to “act symmetrically.”
For its part, Russia’s defense ministry said on Sunday that its forces had been “strictly observing” the ceasefire since 6 p.m. on Saturday evening and accused Ukraine of violating the pause in fighting over 1,000 times.
The ministry said that Ukrainian units had shot at Russian positions 444 times during the night, carried out over 900 drone attacks and used 48 plane-type UAVs. “As a result, there were deaths and injuries among the civilian population and damage to civilian objects,” a statement from the ministry claimed.
Zelenskyy Iterates Call For Ceasefire Extension
Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for the ceasefire to be extended to 30 days, in line with a US-led proposal last month that Russia rejected.
On Sunday morning, he reiterated that the proposal still stands, despite the accusations of repeated violations.
“This Easter proved unequivocally that Russia is the only source of the war and the reason for its prolongation. We are ready to move towards peace and a full, unconditional and fair ceasefire that can last at least 30 days, but Russia has not yet responded to this.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Questions were raised over Putin’s motives in calling the brief halt to hostilities, which came just after the Trump administration threatened to abandon peace efforts without tangible signs of progress.
Russia has previously rejected a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire that was agreed to by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s 66th mechanized brigade, which is currently positioned near Lyman in the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region, said it believed Russia was using the ceasefire to set up roads for heavy military equipment in the area.
The brigade said that a blown-up piece of equipment that had been blocking an important river crossing since early April was cleared on Sunday, as Russian troops took advantage of the pause in firing.
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