ISW: Russia stockpiled weapons
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War assessed that Russia stockpiled weapons during a ceasefire window and then used them for large-scale strikes timed around peace talks, according to RBC-Ukraine’s reporting. (newsukraine.rbc.ua)
The Institute for the Study of War said Russia likely used the April 11-12 Easter ceasefire to stockpile missiles and drones, then unleashed them in major strikes days later. (understandingwar.org) ISW said Russian forces carried out two waves of attacks from 7 a.m. local time on April 15 to 7 a.m. on April 16, using 19 Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles, 20 Kh-101 cruise missiles, five Iskander-K missiles, and 659 drones. Ukraine’s air force said 12 missiles and 20 drones hit 26 locations, while debris damaged 25 more sites. (understandingwar.org) ISW called that barrage the sixth-largest drone-and-missile strike series of the war and said at least 17 civilians were killed and at least 100 injured. Ukrainian officials reported especially heavy damage in Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kharkiv. (understandingwar.org) The ceasefire itself was brief and unilateral. Vladimir Putin ordered Russian forces to halt combat operations from 4 p.m. Moscow time on April 11 until the end of April 12 for Orthodox Easter, and Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would mirror Russian actions. (understandingwar.org) ISW said the truce favored Russia because its strike tactics depend on saturating and exhausting Ukrainian air defenses before ballistic missiles arrive. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said the first overnight drone wave functioned like “combat reconnaissance” ahead of the main salvos. (understandingwar.org) ISW also tied the timing to diplomacy. RBC-Ukraine, citing ISW, said analysts see a pattern of large Russian strike packages appearing immediately before or after bilateral or trilateral talks involving the United States. (newsukraine.rbc.ua) The ceasefire did not stop all fighting at the front. ISW reported alleged violations within hours, including a multiple-launch rocket strike in Kherson region and continued first-person-view drone attacks, while Russian and Ukrainian sources accused each other of breaches. (understandingwar.org) RBC-Ukraine reported that Ukrainian officials said Russian forces used the pause to replenish units and redeploy equipment rather than suspend operations. That left the Easter truce looking less like a reset than a short window before another mass attack. (newsukraine.rbc.ua)
