Merely hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared an Easter ceasefire to stop bombing Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russian strikes have not stopped in the border regions of Kursk and Belgorod. Ukraine said Russia violated its own Easter ceasefire and maintained its artillery fire and assaults on the frontline.

In a statement on social media, Zelensky said, “Kursk and Belgorod regions – Putin’s Easter statements did not spread to this territory.”

“Fighting continues, Russian strikes continue.”

While the Russian Easter truce is meant to last until midnight on Sunday, April 20, air-raid sirens sounded in Kyiv, indicating violence.

Ukrainian governor of southern Kherson region Oleksandr Prokudin alleged that since the truce, Moscow had launched several drone strikes.

The Russian Easter truce

The order to halt all combat over the Easter weekend came after months of efforts by US President Donald Trump to get Moscow and Kyiv to agree a truce.

On Friday, Washington even threatened to withdraw from talks if no progress was made.

“Today from 1800 (1500 GMT) to midnight Sunday (2100 GMT Sunday), the Russian side announces an Easter truce,” Vladimir Putin said earlier Saturday in televised comments.

Vladimir Putin also had said the truce for the Easter holiday celebrated on Sunday was motivated by “humanitarian reasons”.

He said he expected Ukraine to comply but that Russian troops “must be ready to resist possible breaches of the truce and provocations by the enemy.”

While Zelensky responded by saying Ukraine would follow suit, and proposed extending the truce beyond Sunday, he also accused Russia of having already broken its promises.

“If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly – mirroring Russia’s actions,” he said.

And just hours after the Easter ceasefire was announced, Ukraine has accused Russia of violating it and continuing its strikes and assault in the border regions.