Russia trying to create impression of a ceasefire, Zelensky says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Sunday of creating a false appearance of honouring an Easter ceasefire.

He said Moscow continued to launch attacks overnight after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce in Ukraine.

“As of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places, it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X.

Shelling

Despite Mr Putin’s declaration of an Easter ceasefire on Saturday, Mr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had recorded 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults by units across various areas along the front line, as well as ‘dozens’ of drone strikes.

Mr Zelensky said Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine’s offer to extend the truce for 30 days, starting on Sunday at midnight.

He said the proposal ‘remains on the table’ and that ‘we will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground’.

Late on Saturday, Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson said Ukrainian forces continued their attacks.

“Ukrainian troops continue to strike peaceful cities in the Kherson region, violating the Easter truce,” Moscow-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo wrote on his Telegram channel.

‘Humanitarian reasons’

Just hours after the Russian president announced the ceasefire, he attended an Easter service late Saturday at Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a vocal supporter of Mr Putin and the war in Ukraine.

Mr Putin announced the temporary ceasefire, citing humanitarian reasons.

According to the Kremlin, the ceasefire will last from 6pm Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday to midnight (2100 GMT) following Easter Sunday.

Mr Putin offered no details on how the ceasefire would be monitored or whether it would cover airstrikes or ongoing ground battles that rage around the clock.

His ceasefire announcement came after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are “coming to a head” and that neither side is “playing” him in his push to end the grinding three-year war.