A carefully negotiated Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has collapsed almost immediately, with Ukrainian military officials reporting continued Russian drone attacks despite Moscow's declaration of a temporary halt to hostilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire beginning Saturday at 4 p.m. local time through the end of Sunday, framed as a humanitarian pause for the Orthodox Easter holiday. Within hours, however, reports emerged of ongoing drone strikes targeting Ukrainian positions across multiple regions.
The Ceasefire Cracks
Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for Ukraine's 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, told the Associated Press that Russian forces have violated the truce in the sector where his unit operates—near the junction of Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
"The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side," Kolesnychenko said, noting that while traditional artillery fire had paused, Russian drones continued striking Ukrainian positions. "Ukrainian forces are responding with silence to silence and fire to fire."
Ukrainian overnight air defences intercepted 133 of 160 Russian drones launched hours before the ceasefire was supposed to take effect, according to the Ukrainian air force. The strikes hit civilian targets in Odesa, a major port city on the Black Sea, killing at least two people and wounding two others. Residential buildings, houses, and even a kindergarten sustained damage in the attacks.
Zelenskyy's Cautious Hope Fades Fast
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had initially embraced the ceasefire on Saturday, calling it "an opportunity to build on peace initiatives" and describing Easter as "a time of silence and safety."
"A ceasefire at Easter could also become the beginning of real movement toward peace," Zelenskyy wrote in an online post.
However, Zelenskyy also struck a note of realism, warning that Ukraine would "adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind" to any violations—a prediction that proved accurate within hours.
A Pattern of Failed Truces
This breakdown follows a long history of failed ceasefire attempts between the two nations, with each side routinely accusing the other of violations. Russia's Defence Ministry claimed it shot down 99 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russian territory and occupied Crimea, suggesting the conflict is far from paused despite Moscow's declaration.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov characterized Putin's ceasefire offer as a "humanitarian gesture" but emphasized that Russia remains committed to achieving a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands—conditions Ukraine has consistently rejected as non-negotiable sticking points preventing any meaningful peace agreement.
Ukraine had previously proposed a more limited ceasefire focused solely on halting attacks against each other's energy infrastructure during the Easter period. That proposal also appears to have been overtaken by events.
This article is based on reporting from CBC World and the Associated Press.