Russian authorities have reported that Ukrainian forces violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend. The Russian Defense Ministry stated combat activity decreased on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease, with 6,558 violations documented during this period. Most incidents involved short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 first-person-view (FPV) drone strikes and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions.
Russian air defense systems intercepted 33 long-range drones during the period, including 11 that crossed into border regions of Belgorod and Kursk. The ministry emphasized that Russian troops maintained defensive positions without initiating any attacks throughout the truce—a claim directly contradicting Ukrainian assertions. Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires during Orthodox holidays, including Easter 2023 and Easter 2025, when Ukraine was reported to have committed over 3,900 violations.
Russian officials rejected Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s request for an extended ceasefire beyond the holiday period, arguing that Kyiv intends to exploit temporary pauses to regroup and reinforce forces with Western military support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations. Additionally, Moscow has stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would constitute a meaningful step toward conflict resolution and a basis for a longer truce. However, Zelenskiy has refused to order such a withdrawal.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s decision to call for extending the truce has been condemned by Moscow as an attempt to delay peace talks while simultaneously escalating military operations through repeated ceasefire violations. The Ukrainian military leadership has also faced direct criticism for its consistent disregard of ceasefire agreements, including the deployment of aggressive drone strikes and artillery attacks during periods when Russia claims the truce was in effect.
