Russia used Easter truce to regroup in Lyman sector, launched offensive after, military says
Russian forces in the Lyman sector of Donetsk Oblast violated the one-day Easter ceasefire, used it to regroup, and launched a large-scale infantry assault shortly after its end, Anastasiia Blyshchyk, spokesperson for Ukraine's 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade, told Suspilne media on April 22.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a symbolic one-day ceasefire on April 19, which President Volodymyr Zelensky said was violated around 3,000 times.
"This so-called truce did more damage to us," Blyshchyk said. "A few hours after Putin announced the ceasefire, our positions came under massive artillery fire."
According to the spokesperson, Russian forces exploited the lull to reposition units and prepare for renewed assaults.
"We saw them pulling up their infantry to the front line along with weapons, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers and machine guns," she said.
"Our aerial reconnaissance recorded more than 120 Russian occupiers dispersing in plantations, forest belts, destroyed buildings, and dugouts during the so-called Easter truce."
Blyshchyk added that once the truce ended, Russian forces launched a large-scale infantry offensive.
The Lyman sector in northern Donetsk Oblast remains one of the most fiercely contested areas along the front line. Its strategic importance lies in its proximity to key transport routes and logistics corridors.
The assault follows statements from Ukrainian military leadership that Russia's anticipated spring offensive is already underway.
On April 9, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed that Moscow had begun its spring campaign, with intensified attacks across multiple sectors of the front line.
Asami Terajima
