Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday accused Moscow of violating a unilateral Easter ceasefire declared by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a day earlier.
“A report by Commander-in-Chief (Oleksandr) Syrskyi on the frontline as of 6:00 a.m. Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and 5 assaults by Russian units,” Zelenskyy said in a statement on X.
Accusing Moscow of attempting to create a “general impression” of a ceasefire, Zelenskyy said that Moscow must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire.
He further claimed there were more than 300 instances of shelling and 19 assaults on Ukraine by Russian forces between the start of the ceasefire and midnight on Sunday, adding that drones were also used 290 times during this period.
“Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table. We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground,” he went on to say.
In a statement late Saturday, Zelenskyy claimed that fighting between Moscow and Kyiv continued in Russia’s border regions of Kursk and Belgorod, where Ukraine has launched incursions, despite the ceasefire.
“What matters most now is that it is finally clear who has truly been the cause of this war all along. The moment Putin actually ordered a reduction in the intensity and brutality of attacks, fighting and killings decreased. The sole cause of this war and of its prolongation lies in Russia,” he added.
On Saturday, Putin declared a 30-hour unilateral ceasefire for the ongoing war in Ukraine, arguing that the halt’s success or failure would show Kyiv’s readiness and capacity to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
In response, Zelenskyy said that his country would be mirroring Russia’s actions, expressing that Kyiv proposes extending the halt for 30 days beyond Orthodox Easter “if a complete ceasefire truly takes hold.”
The ceasefire began at 6:00 pm Moscow time and will continue until Monday midnight.
Russian authorities have not immediately commented on Zelenskyy’s claims.