Russia states the appearance of a ceasefire and continues to shoot

Russia states the appearance of a ceasefire and continues to shoot

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj has accused Russia of awakening the "general impression" of a ceasefire, while it still attacks parts of the front line. Despite President Vladimir Putin's announcement, this was done to initiate a short interruption of fighting at Easter.

Putin's surprising announcement

On Saturday, Putin surprisingly gave the order to stop all military activities along the front line from 6 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday until midnight on Monday. This announcement immediately met with skepticism from Ukraine, although Kyiv agreed to the ceasefire.

Questions about Putin's motifs

Putin's motifs for the short -term interruption of the fights were questioned. This decision came shortly after a warning of the Trump administration to demolish peace efforts without concrete progress.

violations of the ceasefire

Selenskyj had already reported on Easter Sunday morning that the ceasefire was injured several times. The Ukrainian armed forces stated that although the activity on the front line had decreased, the fights did not come to a standstill.

number of attacks during the ceasefire

from 6 p.m. on Saturday, when the ceasefire came into force, 387 artillery shots and 19 attacks by Russian armed forces occurred until midnight. "Overall, we can say on Easter Sunday that the Russian army is trying to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas it continues to move isolated attempts and to cause losses at Ukraine," said Selenskyj, referring to a report by General Oleksandr Syrskyi, the chief commander of the Ukrainian armed forces.

reactions of the Ukrainian armed forces

in the Kursk region, where there was a surprising Ukrainian push last year, Moscow military led artillery attacks and used drones. Selenskyj said: "Everywhere our warriors react as the enemy deserves, based on the specific combat situation. Ukraine will continue to act symmetrically."

improvements in air strikes

it seems to be a relaxation in the almost daily, fatal air raids on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that they have not registered any air threats from rockets or drones from Russia since Saturday evening. The Russian Ministry of Defense also did not report drone or rocket attacks on Russia at night.

request for extending the ceasefire

Selenskyj has requested an expansion of the ceasefire to 30 days, according to a proposal of the past month initiated by the USA. On Sunday morning he said that this proposal was still valid despite the repeated violations. "Russia has to completely adhere to all conditions of the ceasefire. The proposal of Ukraine to extend the ceasefire until midnight by 30 days today remains on the table. We will act on the ground according to the actual situation."

reaction options for the Ukrainian armed forces

The Ukrainian armed forces have stated that they will meet the orders to limit the fire to the Russian army, but show no reluctance if they are first shot at. A commander on the front warned on Sunday: "We were told yesterday that we should limit the fire against the Russians. If you do not attack or provoke us, we will not fire. If you move or fire on us, we can answer."

Putin's explanation of the ceasefire

Putin said that the ceasefire was necessary for humanitarian reasons, but added that his troops would react to any “provocation”.

reports by CNNS Catherine Nicholls and Ivana Kottasová flowed into this article.