During the 30-hour Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend, attacks by Russian forces resulted in casualties in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region. According to Oleksandr Prokudin, head of Kherson’s regional administration, three people were killed and three others wounded over the last 24 hours in areas partially occupied by Russia. Prokudin shared this information via Telegram on Monday.
The ceasefire, announced by Russia on Saturday, was met with Ukraine signalling readiness to reciprocate any genuine truce. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Russian attacks persisted throughout the ceasefire, alleging more than 2,900 violations by Moscow’s forces. Zelenskyy stated that Russian troops conducted 96 assault operations along the front line, shelled Ukrainian positions over 1,800 times, and launched hundreds of drones during the period. He emphasised, “The nature of Ukrainian actions will continue to be mirror-like: we will respond to silence with silence, and our blows will be a defense against Russian blows. Actions always speak louder than words,” speaking to X (formerly Twitter).
Conversely, the Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of breaching the ceasefire 4,900 times and claimed that Moscow’s forces strictly observed the ceasefire by remaining at their occupied positions. President Putin confirmed on Monday that hostilities resumed once the ceasefire ended at midnight (21:00 GMT). Regarding Zelenskyy’s recent call for a comprehensive 30-day ceasefire or at least a halt on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, Putin remarked that Kyiv was attempting to “seize the initiative” and that Russia would carefully consider the situation and assess the ceasefire’s outcomes. He reiterated his earlier position that a full ceasefire would be conditional on Ukraine halting Western arms imports and its mobilisation efforts, terms which Ukraine has firmly rejected.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Russia would communicate all identified Ukrainian violations of the ceasefire to “all interested parties.” Peskov also noted Russia’s continued openness to dialogue, particularly with the United States, expressing hope for positive progress from these talks.
In an unrelated comment, US President Donald Trump indicated that he would soon share details about meetings concerning Ukraine and Russia, responding to a question about whether the US had proposed Kyiv recognise Crimea—which Russia annexed in 2014—as part of Russia. Zelenskyy has consistently ruled out recognising any temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory as legitimately Russian.
Ahead of upcoming diplomatic discussions in London involving Ukrainian, British, French, and US officials, Zelenskyy spoke on Monday with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Zelenskyy expressed readiness to pursue constructive dialogue aimed at establishing an unconditional ceasefire and achieving lasting peace, stating, “An unconditional ceasefire must be the first step toward peace, and this Easter made it clear that it is Russia’s actions that are prolonging the war.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces reported ongoing Russian missile and drone attacks overnight into Monday. The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that Russian forces fired three missiles targeting southern regions of Kherson and Mykolaiv, in addition to deploying 96 Shahed drones against various parts of Ukraine. Ukrainian defences intercepted 42 drones and jammed signals of 47 others mid-flight.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, Russian drone strikes caused fires at an outbuilding and a food processing enterprise, according to Serhii Lysak, head of the regional administration. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Similarly, the Cherkasy region suffered damage to an unspecified infrastructure site overnight, as stated by regional head Ihor Taburets. In the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region, four civilians were hurt when Russian forces shelled settlements five times during the past 24 hours, reported regional head Vadym Filashkin.
This account summarises the latest developments in the eastern European conflict as of Monday, following a brief cessation of hostilities during the Easter period. The Independent is reporting.
Source: Noah Wire Services