’26 Russian assaults till noon despite Easter truce’: Zelenskyy amid Putin’s ceasefire | World News

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of intensifying attacks despite a unilateral “Easter truce” declared Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. Zelenskyy claimed that Russian forces carried out 26 assaults between midnight and noon on Sunday, ramping up their use of first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drones since 10 am — doubling previous usage levels.
“The most active Russian operations this morning have been observed in the Pokrovsk and Siversk directions,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X, quoting a battlefield update from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
The Ukrainian leader alleged that the Kremlin was creating the ‘illusion’ of a ceasefire while continuing to target Ukrainian positions. “Either Putin does not have full control over his army, or they never intended to honor the truce — only to gain favorable PR,” he wrote.

A new report Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the frontline as of 12:00 p.m. on Easter Day.
Despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions, an increase in Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones has been observed since 10:00 a.m. – with FPV drone…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025
Zelenskyy urged the international community to push Moscow towards a ‘genuine, sustained ceasefire’ lasting “at least 30 days after Easter to give diplomacy a real chance.” He noted that no air raid sirens had been activated during the period, but attacks persed nonetheless.
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Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy said Russian forces had launched 387 shelling attacks and 19 assaults between midnight and 6 pm. “The Russian army is attempting to create a general impression of a ceasefire, while still pushing forward in some areas to inflict losses,” he wrote.

Russia, meanwhile, blamed Ukraine for violating the ceasefire. Its defence minry claimed that Ukrainian forces had fired on Russian positions 444 times and carried out over 900 drone attacks, causing infrastructure damage and civilian casualties.
Putin had announced a unilateral Easter ceasefire from 6 pm Moscow time on Saturday until midnight Sunday. The Kremlin’s statement described it as a gesture of goodwill tied to Orthodox Easter celebrations.