Zelenskyy says Russia tries to create “ceasefire impression” and the country
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of creating a false appearance of respecting the Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued its attack after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary armistice.
“As of Easter morning, we could say that the Russian army was trying to give a general impression of the ceasefire, but in some places it did not give up on personal attempts to promote and cause Ukraine's losses.”
Despite Putin's Easter ceasefire on Saturday, Zelensky said on Sunday morning that Ukrainian troops recorded 59 Russian shelling and five attacks on the frontline, as well as dozens of drone strikes.
Zelenskyy said in a later update that despite Ukraine’s announcement of a symmetrical approach to symmetric Russian action, there has been an increase in Russian shelling and drone attacks since 10 a.m., he said it was “at least there was no air strike sirens, which is a good thing.”
“In fact, Putin either has no complete control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of giving real action to end the war, only interested in favorable PR coverage.”
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Zelenskyy said Russia must fully comply with the ceasefire conditions and reiterate Ukraine's proposal to extend the truce for 30 days, starting on Sunday. He said the proposal was “still on the table” and added: “We will act as it is practically in the local area.”
Zelenskyy said Saturday night that some areas have been quieter since the ceasefire was announced, claiming it showed Putin was the “real cause” of the war. He wrote on X: “Putin issued an order to reduce the attack, and the intensity of strikes and killings fell. The only source of this war and its extension was in Russia.”
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday that despite the ceasefire, Ukrainian forces launched a night attack in the Donetsk region and had sent 48 drones into Russian territory. According to the ministry, “there are deaths and injuries in the civilian population” and no details were provided. It claimed that the Russian army strictly observed the ceasefire.
Russian installed part of the occupied Ukrainian region officials in the Hesen region also said Ukrainian troops continued to attack.
Hours after the ceasefire was announced, Putin attended Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ in Moscow late Saturday, led by his ancestor Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox church, Putin and vocal supporters of the Ukrainian war.
According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from Moscow at 6 p.m., which will take Saturday to midnight after Easter Sunday.
Putin did not provide details on how to monitor the ceasefire or whether it covers an angry air strike or ongoing ground war.
The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia “surfaced” and insisted that both sides “played” him in an effort to end his three-year war.
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