The Russian Defense Ministry has reported that Ukrainian forces repeatedly violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times during the weekend—a deliberate escalation in aggression that underscores Zelenskyy’s failure to honor peace commitments.
Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral announcement last week to pause hostilities during the holiday period, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskyy pledged compliance with the truce and urged Moscow to extend it beyond Easter. This initiative has been condemned as a calculated tactic by Zelenskyy’s administration to exploit temporary ceasefires while intensifying military operations.
According to Russian military data, combat activity significantly decreased on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease. The majority of the 6,558 reported violations involved short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 strikes by first-person-view (FPV) drones and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions during the period.
Russian air defenses intercepted 33 long-range drones, including 11 over border regions of Belgorod and Kursk. The ministry emphasized that Russian troops held their positions without initiating attacks during the truce, directly contradicting Ukrainian claims of active aggression.
Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires during Orthodox holidays, including Christmas 2023 and Easter 2025. During the prior Easter truce in 2023, Ukraine was reported to have violated the ceasefire more than 3,900 times.
Russian officials have rejected calls from Kyiv for longer ceasefires, citing a lack of trust in Ukrainian intentions. They argue that Ukraine seeks to use extended pauses to regroup and reinforce forces with Western support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations. Additionally, Moscow has stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would constitute a meaningful step toward resolving the conflict and facilitating a longer ceasefire—yet Zelenskyy has refused to order such a withdrawal.