Attacks continue despite Putin's 'Easter truce' pledge, Zelensky says

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has accused Russia of creating the "impression" of a ceasefire while continuing to use military force in some areas of Ukraine. Zelensky stated that Russian forces had engaged in 387 shellings, 19 assaults, and the use of drones 290 times during the first six hours of the "Easter truce," which was mandated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. There are no casualties reported. From 18:00 Moscow time (6:00 BST) on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, Putin instructed his troops to "stop all military activity" in Ukraine. Kyiv stated it would adhere as well. According to the BBC in Ukraine, things have been quieter on the front lines. Despite the fact that Putin's ceasefire was announced minutes before it was supposed to take effect, there has been less noise. At midnight on Saturday, there were no reports of Russian drones or fighter jets in the Ukrainian skies before Zelensky stated that there had been ongoing attacks in some areas. That rarely happens. The only information that surfaced was that a Russian ship equipped with missile launchers had been sent to the Black Sea. It was still in the southern city of Odesa. Prior to Moscow's announcement on Friday, Russian drones flew in from the direction of occupied Crimea, making air defenses crackle throughout the night. Moscow was "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," according to Zelensky on Sunday morning. Zelensky added, "everywhere our warriors are responding as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation," while accusing Russia of specific military actions. "If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly - mirroring Russia's actions," Zelensky had stated late on Saturday, hours into the truce. "Our actions are symmetrical and will be. "The response to the proposal for a complete and unconditional 30-day silence must come from Moscow," he wrote on X. Zelensky stated that Ukraine would be prepared to extend a truce beyond April 20, appearing to be referring to Ukraine's acceptance of a 30-day ceasefire proposal from the United States. Now it appears that both Kiev and Moscow want to demonstrate to Washington that they are serious about peace. Any possible path to peace hinges on whether the Kremlin accepts Zelensky's offer to extend the truce from 30 hours to 30 days. That doesn't even cross the minds of many Ukrainians. During a meeting with Valery Gerasimov, Putin's chief of general staff, the temporary truce was made public. "The Russian side announces an Easter truce on the basis of humanitarian considerations." "I command the cessation of all military operations during this time," Putin told Gerasimov. "We assume that Ukraine will follow our example. At the same time, our troops ought to be prepared to retaliate against any aggressive actions, provocation by the enemy, or potential breaches of the truce." The Russian defense ministry stated that the ceasefire would be adhered to by its troops if Ukraine "mutually respected" it. It is not the first time that fighting has stopped suddenly. In January 2023, during Orthodox Christmas, an earlier attempt at a ceasefire failed because neither side could come up with a plan. "Now is the moment for Putin to truly show he is serious about peace by ending his horrible invasion and committing to a full ceasefire, as the Ukrainian government has called for - not just a one day pause for Easter," a British Foreign Office spokesman said in response to Putin's truce announcement.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a comprehensive invasion of Ukraine. On all sides, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people have died or been injured, the majority of whom are soldiers. As part of its efforts to end the war, the United States has been speaking directly with Russia, but it has struggled to make significant progress. A proposal for a complete and unconditional ceasefire that had been agreed upon by Ukraine and the United States was turned down by Moscow last month. If there isn't immediate progress, Washington, according to Donald Trump, will "take a pass" on brokering additional talks to end the war in Ukraine. He made the remarks after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the country had "other priorities to focus on" and would not "continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end." He went on to say, "We need to determine very quickly now - I'm talking about a matter of days - whether or not this is doable." "We're just going to move on if it's not going to happen."