Zelensky accuses Russia of 2,000 ceasefire violations

KIEV

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday accused Russia of carrying out more than 2,000 violations of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Easter truce, but suggested extending a pause on aerial strikes after a day of no air raid alerts across Ukraine.

"The Russian army has violated Putin's ceasefire more than 2,000 times," Zelensky said on social media. But he added that there had been "no air raid alerts today" and proposed "to cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days."

Zelensky previously accused Russia of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire, saying Moscow continued to launch attacks after Putin announced a unilateral temporary truce.

“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,” Zelensky said in a post on X.

Despite Putin’s declaration of an Easter ceasefire, Zelensky said Sunday morning that Ukrainian forces had recorded 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assaults by units along the front line, as well as dozens of drone strikes.

In later updates, Zelensky said that despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, “the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues.” He said, however, that it was “a good thing, at least, that there were no air raid sirens.”

He noted that some Ukrainian troops were killed in a Russian "ambush” on Sunday in the Donetsk region, and said the Russian soldiers responsible would be “eliminated."

Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of overnight attacks in the Donetsk region despite the ceasefire. It said Ukraine had sent 48 drones into Russian territory. According to the ministry, there were “dead and wounded among the civilian population,” without giving details. It claimed Russian troops had strictly observed the truce.

Russia-installed officials in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also said Ukrainian forces had launched attacks.

Zelensky said that Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine’s offer to extend the truce for 30 days when it ends midnight Sunday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ said Moscow had not responded to Kiev's proposal.

“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,” Zelensky wrote.

Just hours after announcing the ceasefire, Putin 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 Putin and the war in Ukraine.

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

The Kremlin announced on Sunday that Putin has not ordered the extension of the Easter ceasefire in Ukraine. Putin's decision to not extend the ceasefire was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in remarks to Russian state news agency Tass.