Easter truce collapses
A 32‑hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine expired amid mutual accusations of repeated breaches rather than a lasting pause (aljazeera.com). Kyiv reported thousands of alleged violations while Moscow reported far fewer, and the sides nonetheless exchanged 175 prisoners during the truce even as drone strikes were reported in Odesa ( ).
Russia’s 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce with Ukraine ended on Monday without becoming a broader pause in the war, after both sides accused each other of repeated violations. (france24.com) The ceasefire ran from 4 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday, April 11, to midnight on Sunday, April 12. President Vladimir Putin announced it on Thursday, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would observe it if Russia did the same. (nbcnews.com) By late Sunday, Ukraine’s military said it had logged 7,696 Russian violations during the truce, including 1,355 artillery strikes, 115 assault actions and 6,226 attack-drone strikes. Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukrainian forces committed 1,971 violations and reported artillery fire, drone attacks and four attempted advances along the front. (usnews.com; france24.com) The truce still produced a narrower change: Ukraine’s military said it recorded no long-range Shahed drone attacks, guided bomb strikes or missile launches during the ceasefire window. Fighting did continue on parts of the 1,200-kilometer front, with drones and artillery still reported in several sectors. (france24.com) Hours before the ceasefire began, Russia launched 160 drones at Ukraine overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, which said 133 were shot down or diverted. In Odesa, local authorities said drone strikes killed at least two people, wounded two more and damaged apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten. (abc7.com) Russia said it shot down 99 Ukrainian drones overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea before the truce took effect. During the ceasefire, Russian regional officials also reported civilian casualties in Belgorod and other border areas, while Ukraine reported injuries from Russian drone attacks in Kharkiv region. (abc7.com; usnews.com) The one clear point of cooperation was a prisoner swap on Saturday. Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 175 prisoners of war in a deal mediated by the United Arab Emirates, just hours before the Easter pause started. (euronews.com) The Easter pause followed a similar short truce ordered by Putin last year, when both sides also accused each other of breaking it. This year’s ceasefire arrived as United States-led efforts to reach a broader settlement had slowed, according to Reuters reporting carried by NBC News. (nbcnews.com) Zelenskyy called for extending the Easter ceasefire, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said fighting would resume unless Ukraine accepted Russia’s “well-known” terms. By Monday morning, the holiday lull had ended much as it began: with a brief reduction in some strikes, but no durable stop to the war. (france24.com)
