Russia launched a new wave of airstrikes on Ukraine following the conclusion of President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral Easter ceasefire, which had been announced on Saturday. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, the Russian forces fired 96 drones and three missiles targeting multiple Ukrainian regions, including Kharkiv in the east, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy in central Ukraine.
Local and regional authorities reported minimal damage, with no casualties. In Dnipropetrovsk, a residential building was affected, and a fire broke out at a food establishment, though there were no injuries, as confirmed by Governor Serhiy Lysak on Telegram. Similarly, Vitaliy Kim, the governor of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, reported that the attacks caused no harm or significant damage.
Putin’s ceasefire order, which aimed to halt combat operations during the Orthodox Easter weekend, was heavily influenced by months of U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure for a ceasefire agreement between Moscow and Kyiv. However, in March, the Kremlin rejected a broader 30-day truce proposed by the U.S. and supported by Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of violating the ceasefire 3,000 times over the weekend. Despite this, Zelensky suggested extending a pause on long-range drone and missile strikes aimed at civilian infrastructure, as no air raid alerts were triggered at the time. Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine violated the ceasefire 4,900 times and confirmed that Russian forces had resumed combat operations after the truce ended at midnight.
This is not the first failed attempt at a holiday ceasefire. Similar efforts during Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 also fell apart amid unsuccessful negotiations.
