Russian forces are using the ‘Easter truce’ as a cover to improve frontline positions, according to Ukrainian soldiers.
The 66th Separate Mechanised brigade said on Sunday that “the enemy is preparing routes for the passage of heavy equipment” across the Black Stallion River in the Donetsk region.
It added that Russian troops had launched drone strikes against the brigade’s positions, and that Ukrainian aerial reconnaissance had spotted machine guns being moved towards the front line.
Vladimir Putin claimed yesterday that his forces would “stop all military activity” between 6pm Moscow time and midnight on Sunday. Kyiv also agreed to adhere.
But within hours, both sides accused each other of breaking the ceasefire.
Mr Zelenksy said that in the six hours up to midnight Saturday, there were “387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces,” with drones “used by Russians 290 times”. He said that Russia had launched 26 assaults from midnight up until midday local time.
Russia’s defence ministry, meanwhile, said that Ukraine had broken the Easter ceasefire more than a thousand times.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Vladimir Putin’s words about a ceasefire have “proven empty”.
Ukraine’s president has shared another report from commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, which notes that the “trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues”.
From the start of today, the report says there have been a total of 46 Russian assaults “across various directions” and 901 instances of shelling, 448 of which involved heavy weaponry.
Russia said Ukraine had broken the Easter ceasefire “more than a thousand times”.
The Russian defence ministry said that Ukrainian forces had shot at Russian positions 444 times while it had counted more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks.
The comments came hours after Volodymyr Zelensky also accused Russia of breaking the truce.
Russian forces targetted a Ukrainian volunteer’s vehicle with three drones while he was evacuating civilians in Donetsk Oblast during the ‘Easter ceasefire’, according to an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
Volunteer Yevhen Tkachov said he was evacuating civilians from the village of Zoria, located to the south of Kramatorsk, when they were targeted by the first drone some 50 meters from the Donetsk Highway.
“I turned on the emergency lights, got out of the car, and started waving my arms to show that I was a civilian,” Mr Tkachov said.
“Despite that, the drone struck just half a metre from my car. I motioned for the two cars behind me to go ahead, but I couldn’t drive myself any more because my car wouldn’t start.”
The British Ministry of Defence said that its fighter jets intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to Nato airspace in the past week.
Two RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland on April 15 to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M “Coot-A” intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
On April 17 another two Typhoons scrambled from the base, to intercept an unknown aircraft leaving Kaliningrad air space and close to Nato airspace.
The intercepts mark the RAF’s first scramble as part of Operation Chessman and come just weeks after the aircraft arrived in eastern Poland to begin their deployment alongside Sweden in defence of Nato’s Eastern Flank, the Ministry of Defence said.
“The UK is unshakeable in its commitment to Nato. With Russian aggression growing and security threats on the rise, we are stepping up to reassure our Allies, deter adversaries and protect our national security through our Plan for Change,” said Luke Pollard, minister for the Armed Forces.
Pope Francis has called for peace in Ukraine in his Easter message.
“Brothers and sisters, Happy Easter!” Pope Francis began. An aide then read the rest of his annual Urbi et Orbi blessing and speech, which called for an end to the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.
“May the risen Christ grant Ukraine, devastated by war, his Easter gift of peace, and encourage all parties involved to pursue efforts aimed at achieving a just and lasting peace,” the message said.
It was the pontiff’s first significant public appearance since he left hospital, where he was treated for double pneumonia.
Volodymyr Zelenksy has said that Vladimir Putin either “does not fully control his army” or that the Easter truce was a PR stunt, as he accused Russia of stepping up attacks.
The Ukrainian president said that Russia had launched dozens of assaults from midnight up until midday local time, despite Putin ordering a 30-hour temporary truce on Saturday.
“Either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favourable PR coverage,” Mr Zelensky said.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry has demanded an apology from Fox News after the US television network incorrectly labelled Kyiv as a Russian city during a broadcast.
The broadcast featured live streams of Ukraine’s Easter service from St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv and a service in Moscow attended by Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian service was correctly captioned as being in “Kyiv, Ukraine” initially, but then was changed to “Kyiv, Russia”, before being corrected around 20 minutes later.
“If this was a mistake rather than a deliberate political statement, there should be an apology and an investigation into who made the mistake,” a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.
Ukraine may need to import up to 6.3 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas for the 2025/26 winter season as reserves have fallen to a record low due to war-related damage to some facilities, the former head of its gas transit operator said on Sunday.
Ukraine has been forced to ramp up gas withdrawals from storage and increase imports this winter and spring after Russian missile attacks damaged production facilities in the east of the country, Serhiy Makogon said on Telegram.
Quoting data, he said that the storage level was “the lowest ever” and said the country would need to collect at least 12.8 bcm of gas in reserve, including 4.6 bcm of process – or buffer – gas that is needed to ensure sufficient pressure in storage facilities.
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russia ‘exploiting Easter truce’ to improve frontline positions – The Telegraph
