Russian attackers break Putin’s Easter ceasefire

KYIV Ukraine (AFP) — Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said Russian forces were continuing their shelling and assaults along the front line despite Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing a surprise but brief Easter truce.

The 30-hour truce starting Saturday evening would be the most significant pause in the fighting throughout the three-year conflict.

But on Sunday Zelensky accused Russia of having maintained its attacks on the front line after the truce started at 1500 GMT Saturday.

“Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and five assaults by Russian units,” Zelensky said on social media, citing a report as of 6 a.m. from Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky.

He 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.”

Ukraine’s air force on Sunday morning did not report any drone or missile attacks, however.

“Overall, as of Easter morning, we can state that the Russian army is attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelensky’s post said.

Ukraine will respond “symmetrically” to any attacks, Zelensky said.

Officials in Russian-held areas of east Ukraine in turn accused Kyiv’s troops of violating the ceasefire with shelling of an occupied village and town.

A reporter for RIA Novosti state news agency in the Russian-held city of Donetsk reported hearing explosions and seeing a fire on Sunday morning.