Both Russia, Ukraine allege Easter ceasefire violations

In a statement on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: “A report by Commander-in-Chief (Oleksandr) Syrskyi on the frontline as of 6:00 a.m. Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and 5 assaults by Russian units.”

Accusing Moscow of attempting to create a “general impression” of a ceasefire, Zelenskyy said that Moscow must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire.

He further claimed there were more than 300 instances of shelling and 19 assaults on Ukraine by Russian forces between the start of the ceasefire and midnight on Sunday, adding that drones were also used 290 times during this period.

“Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table. We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground,” he went on to say.

In a statement late Saturday, Zelenskyy claimed that fighting between Moscow and Kyiv continued in Russia’s border regions of Kursk and Belgorod.

“What matters most now is that it is finally clear who has truly been the cause of this war all along. The moment Putin actually ordered a reduction in the intensity and brutality of attacks, fighting and killings decreased. The sole cause of this war and of its prolongation lies in Russia,” he added.

On Saturday, Putin declared a 30-hour unilateral ceasefire in the ongoing war in Ukraine, arguing that the halt’s success or failure would show Kyiv’s readiness and capacity to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

In response, Zelenskyy said that his country would be mirroring Russia’s actions, expressing that Kyiv proposes extending the halt for 30 days beyond Orthodox Easter “if a complete ceasefire truly takes hold.”

The ceasefire began at 6:00 pm Moscow time and will continue until Monday midnight.

Russia's take

A few hours after Zelenskyy's remarks, Moscow voiced its own accusations regarding the violation of the ceasefire, claiming that Kyiv launched overnight attacks on its military positions near the front-line settlements of Sukha Balka and Bahatyr, both located in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Claiming that all Russian troops have been strictly observing the ceasefire since its announcement, a Russian Defense Ministry statement accused Ukraine of launching 48 drones during an overnight attack.

The statement further accused Ukraine of attacking its military positions using gun and mortar fire 444 times since the start of the ceasefire.

It also claimed that Kyiv further carried out 900 drone attacks, as well as dropped various munitions on border areas in Russia’s Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk regions.

“As a result, there are civilian casualties and injuries, as well as damage to civilian objects,” it added.

Separately, Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large, claimed on Telegram that Kyiv launched multiple strikes on Moscow-controlled territories in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Kherson, and Luhansk regions since the start of the ceasefire.

In later remarks on the political talk show Solovyov Live, Miroshnik repeated that reports on alleged Ukrainian violations continue to arrive, arguing that these reports show Kyiv’s inability to implement a halt to hostilities.