Posts published in “Russia”

The Russian Foreign Ministry, through spokesperson Maria Zakharova, has accused Ukraine of violating the “Easter truce.” Meanwhile, Ukraine reports over 2,000 violations of this ceasefire by Russian forces.

The ceasefire, “announced” by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on the eve of Easter, was allegedly violated by the “Kyiv regime,” according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. She made the statement in response to a call from the U.S. State Department to extend the ceasefire beyond the one-day Easter truce, UNN reports.

Details

Zakharova claimed that Ukraine used U.S.-supplied HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems during the ceasefire period.

“This is not a coincidence, but a pattern. During the moratorium on strikes against energy infrastructure, Zelensky, who had agreed to it, deliberately targeted civilian energy facilities,” Zakharova wrote.

As reported, on April 19, Putin declared a 30-hour “Easter truce” in Ukraine, scheduled to last until midnight on April 20.

Context

The U.S. State Department stated that the United States would welcome an extension of the ceasefire following the one-day Easter truce.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, citing a report from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that as of 8:00 PM, the Russian army had violated the ceasefire more than 2,000 times since the start of the truce declared by Putin.

Over 2,000 Violations During Putin’s “Day of Silence” – Zelenskyy

According to President Zelenskyy, there were already 67 Russian assaults on Ukrainian positions throughout the day, with most occurring in the Pokrovsk direction.

“There were 1,355 Russian shelling incidents, 713 of which involved heavy weapons, along with 673 instances of FPV drone usage,” Zelenskyy reported.

He stressed that Russia failed to adhere to its own declared ceasefire across all major fronts.

“Russia did not even use the full day to respond to our Ukrainian proposal for complete silence, beginning with Easter, and lasting for 30 days,” the President said.

Zelenskyy also noted that no air raid alarms were activated in Ukraine on that day, calling it a “format of silence” that had been achieved and could easily be extended.

“Ukraine proposes refraining from all long-range drone and missile attacks on civilian infrastructure for at least 30 days, with a possibility of extension. If Russia refuses this step, it will be clear proof that it seeks only to prolong the war and destroy lives,” he emphasized.

The United States has voiced support for extending the ceasefire beyond the one-day truce. Earlier on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that Washington may abandon efforts to pursue a peace agreement if no clear progress is made soon.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin had not ordered an extension of the declared “Easter truce.” According to Peskov, the ceasefire would end as originally scheduled, at midnight on April 21.