Russia announces 'resumption' of hostilities after Easter ceasefire as Kyiv reports violations
Russia's Defense Ministry announced on April 21 that Russian troops resumed hostilities after the supposed Easter ceasefire, even as Ukraine accused Moscow of repeated violations while the truce was allegedly in effect.
The Russian ministry claimed its forces had struck Ukrainian forces near the village of Khmelivka in Sumy Oblast, the town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, the villages of Novodanylivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Poniativka in Kherson Oblast, and near several settlements in Donetsk Oblast.
Russia's temporary ceasefire was said to start at 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 and end at midnight on April 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of nearly 3,000 ceasefire breaches during that period.
Russia's violations included 96 Russian assaults on Ukrainian positions, 1,882 instances of shelling, and 950 uses of Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones during the truce, Zelensky claimed, citing a briefing from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
According to Kyiv, the Russian military was most active in the Pokrovsk and Siversk directions in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast.
The Ukrainian military warned in early April that Russia was preparing a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast.
The press service of Ukraine's 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade said on April 20 that Russia also used the Easter truce to reinforce positions and prepare for renewed assaults in Kharkiv Oblast.
Anna Fratsyvir
