Easter truce falls apart
An Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine failed to hold, with at least one person killed and fresh attacks reported before the truce expired. Reuters reported a death in Donetsk, while Ukrainian military tallies cited about 10,721 alleged Russian violations during the ceasefire. Kyiv Independent also said Ukrainian forces pulled back in eastern Sumy oblast as strikes continued, underscoring that the pause did not translate into a durable halt in fighting. (reuters.com) (kyivindependent.com)
Russia’s Orthodox Easter ceasefire in Ukraine collapsed before it ended, with fresh attacks reported across the front and at least one civilian killed in Donetsk region. (reuters.com) Reuters reported on April 13 that one person was killed in Russia’s shelling of Donetsk region during the truce period, citing regional governor Vadym Filashkin. Ukraine’s military said Russia committed about 10,721 violations during the ceasefire window. (reuters.com) (kyivindependent.com) The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukrainian forces pulled back near Myropilske in eastern Sumy region on April 13 after what the 14th Army Corps called intensive fighting and a Russian advantage in forces and equipment. The same outlet said Russian strikes continued through the supposed pause. (kyivindependent.com 1) (kyivindependent.com 2) The ceasefire was announced by President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Easter and was supposed to run from 4 p.m. local time on April 11 until midnight after April 13. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would mirror any real pause in fighting but would answer attacks with force. (kyivindependent.com 1) (kyivindependent.com 2) By the first evening of the truce, Ukraine’s General Staff said it had already logged 469 violations, including 153 shelling incidents, 19 drone strikes, and 275 attacks by first-person-view drones. By April 12, that tally had risen to 2,299 alleged violations over 15 hours. (kyivindependent.com 1) (kyivindependent.com 2) The fighting around Sumy shows where the front has shifted in 2026. Sumy borders Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine held territory from August 2024 until April 2025, and Zelensky said last summer Russia had massed about 50,000 troops nearby after that campaign. (kyivindependent.com) The same border area has faced repeated attacks even during the holiday pause. A Russian drone struck an ambulance in Sumy region overnight on April 12, injuring three paramedics, according to the regional military administration cited by the Kyiv Independent. (kyivindependent.com) Moscow and Kyiv have traded accusations over ceasefire breaches throughout the war, and battlefield claims from either side are often hard to verify independently in real time. What is clear from the April 11 to April 13 truce is that shelling, drone attacks, and troop movements continued before the deadline expired. (reuters.com) (kyivindependent.com)
