Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of violating Putin’s Easter ceasefire

Lead

Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating a short ceasefire declared for Orthodox Easter, as the halt in hostilities formally expired with mutual recriminations and no agreement to extend it. The 32-hour truce, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday and agreed to by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, was meant to last from 4pm Saturday until the end of Sunday. By its conclusion, both militaries had reported thousands of alleged breaches, underscoring the deep mistrust that has made previous pauses in the four-year war fragile and short-lived.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting on the ceasefire’s breakdown was consistent across international outlets, with the BBC, Fox News, France 24, the Jerusalem Post, and the South China Morning Post all leading with the mutual accusations. Each cited similar figures: Ukraine’s military said it recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations by Sunday morning, while Russia’s Defence Ministry reported 1,971 violations by Ukrainian forces. The tone across these reports was uniformly neutral, framing the dueling claims as evidence of the difficulty of enforcing any truce.

A divergence emerged in the numbers and details provided. France 24, in one report, quoted the Ukrainian military as saying that by 10pm Sunday, the total number of violations had risen to 7,696. That figure, which accounts for the full truce period, was not included in other initial accounts. Meanwhile, the Russian state news agency TASS reported a different tally, saying Russia had registered 6,558 ceasefire violations by the Ukrainian army during the truce, and that Russian forces had strictly observed the ceasefire—a claim not repeated in non-Russian sources.

Key Claims

• Ukraine’s military reported 2,299 ceasefire violations by 7am Sunday, including 28 assault actions, 479 shellings, and nearly 1,800 drone strikes (747 attack drones and 1,045 FPV drones). It noted there were no missile strikes, guided bomb strikes, or Shahed-type drone attacks. This figure was cited by the BBC, Fox News, France 24, and the South China Morning Post.

• Russia’s Defence Ministry said it recorded 1,971 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces during the same period, including drone strikes and artillery fire. The ministry also accused Kyiv of launching three night attacks and mounting four attempts to advance along the front line, all of which were thwarted. This figure appeared in multiple reports, including Reuters and the Jerusalem Post.

• The ceasefire was announced by Putin and accepted by Zelensky, who promised to respond "symmetrically" to any violations. Zelensky also expressed hope the truce could be extended, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected the idea, saying Moscow’s attacks would resume, according to multiple outlets.

• Civilian casualties were reported on both sides. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said two civilians were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Saturday. Ukraine’s State Emergencies Service reported two civilians wounded by Russian shelling. A Russian drone hit an ambulance in Sumy, injuring three medics, according to Ukrainian officials.

• A single source claim, from TASS, reported that Russia registered 6,558 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces, a figure that is higher than other counts and has not been confirmed by independent sources.

Perspectives

From the Ukrainian perspective, the ceasefire was a measured opportunity that Moscow failed to honor. The military’s detailed tally of assaults and drone strikes, along with Zelensky’s pledge to retaliate "symmetrically," reflects a posture of readiness but also a desire to hold the line. Ukrainian officials emphasized that Russia continued combat operations in certain sectors, even if it refrained from using heavier munitions.

From the Russian perspective, as articulated by the Defence Ministry and TASS, Russian forces fully complied with the ceasefire, while Ukraine used the pause to launch attacks on Russian positions and civilian infrastructure. The ministry’s account, which includes repelling Ukrainian attacks and downing drones near border regions, presents Ukraine as the aggressor and Russia as the party upholding the truce.

The mutual accusations highlight a broader reality: even when both sides agree to a pause, the front line remains active, and the fog of war complicates any clear attribution of blame. As one Ukrainian soldier told Reuters, Russian reconnaissance drones were still circling his area, preventing the recovery of fallen comrades—a small but telling sign that the truce was, at best, partial.

As the ceasefire expired, the resumption of full hostilities seemed inevitable. Moscow’s rejection of an extension leaves the war, now in its fifth year, without any imminent prospect of a breakthrough, as diplomatic efforts remain stalled.