Ukraine war latest: Russia violates Easter ceasefire 2,299 times, military says
on Google
Key developments on April 11-12:
- Russia violates Easter ceasefire 2,299 times; at least 4 killed, 35 injured in Ukraine over past day
- Russian forces executed 4 Ukrainian POWs in Kharkiv Oblast, prosecutors say
- Ukraine strikes oil facilities in Russia, occupied Crimea
- Boris Johnson visits Ukraine's southern front, criticizes Western lack of support
- Ukraine brings home 175 POWs in Easter Eve swap with Russia
Over a period of 15 hours, Russia violated a recently announced Easter ceasefire 2,299 times, Ukraine's General Staff said on April 12.
The violations, recorded between 4 p.m. local time on April 11 and 7 a.m. on April 12, included 28 assault operations, 479 shelling incidents, 747 kamikaze drone attacks, and 1,045 FPV drone strikes. No missiles, guided aerial bombs, or Shahed-type drones were reported.
According to the General Staff, 120 combat clashes were also recorded along the front lines over the past day.
Russian authorities, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of violating the ceasefire, claiming Ukrainian drone strikes targeted locations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions and injured five people.
The reported violations followed the start of a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 9. The ceasefire was set to run from 4 p.m. on April 11 through the end of April 12. Ukraine had previously called for a similar truce.
Meanwhile, over the past day, four civilians were killed, and 35 others were injured in several Ukrainian oblasts.
Russian forces executed 4 Ukrainian POWs in Kharkiv Oblast, prosecutors say
Russian troops shot dead four Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) on April 11 near the village of Veterynarne in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported on April 12.
According to the investigation, Russian soldiers entered Ukrainian positions, captured four soldiers from one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ separate mechanized brigades, and then deliberately shot them using automatic weapons.
A pretrial investigation has been launched under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which covers cruel treatment of prisoners of war resulting in their death. The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office is overseeing the case.
On April 11, DeepState, a Ukrainian open-source mapping group, published a video it said showed Russian soldiers shooting four Ukrainian POWs.
"Another video has been received by the editorial team. The Russians entered the positions through the neighbors," DeepState wrote under the video.
Ukraine has documented widespread violations of the Geneva Conventions by Russian forces, including the execution of at least 337 captured Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) as of the end of 2025, according to Ukraine's Human Rights Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets.
Ukraine strikes oil facilities in Russia, occupied Crimea
Ukrainian armed forces said they carried out overnight strikes on two oil facilities in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea on April 11.
According to Ukraine's General Staff, Ukrainian forces targeted the Krymskaya oil pumping station in Russia's Krasnodar Krai as well as the Gvardiyskaya oil depot in Crimea.
"The units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine struck a number of logistical and other important objects of the enemy both in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and directly on the territory of the aggressor state," the General Staff said in a statement.
Prior to official confirmation from Kyiv, Russian authorities reported a fire at an oil depot in the Krasnodar region overnight, attributing it to falling drone debris.
Ukrainian forces also struck other targets the same night, including ammunition warehouses in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, as well as drone control points in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry claimed it shot down or intercepted 99 Ukrainian drones over several regions, including Krasnodar, Belgorod, Bryansk, Rostov, Kaluga, and Kursk, as well as over occupied Crimea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.
The reported strike follows a similar Ukrainian attack on the Krymskaya facility on April 9 that also sparked a fire. The city of Krymsk lies about 115 kilometers (70 miles) east of Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukraine has regularly targeted oil depots and other infrastructure it considers critical to Russia's military operations, both in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territory.
"The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to take measures to reduce the offensive potential of Russian occupiers and end the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine," the General Staff said.
Boris Johnson visits Ukraine's southern front, criticizes Western lack of support
Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson made his first visit to the front lines in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, publishing a front-line dispatch from Ukraine on April 11.
In his Daily Mail article, Johnson describes the harsh realities faced by Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, while also criticizing Western partners for their lack of support for Ukraine. Johnson visited Ukraine's 65th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which is operating near the city of Huliaipole.
"Welcome to the kill zone, and welcome back to the war the west is in danger of forgetting," Johnson said.
In office between 2019 and 2022, Johnson was one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine at the onset of the full-scale invasion, visiting the country several times during the war.
The ex-prime minister said he chose this sector for his visit since he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin "is so desperately trying and failing" to capture Zaporizhzhia, an industrial city that is home to around one million Ukrainians.
Since February, Ukrainian forces have retaken the initiative on the southern front line, counterattacking through the eastern reaches of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, where Russia made the fastest gains in the closing months of 2025.
"The real question is not whether Putin can capture all of Ukraine — because he can't — but whether we are doing enough to help the Ukrainians to push him back, and force him to the negotiating table," Johnson wrote in his article.
"We are right to say that the Ukrainians are fighting for all of us – so why the hell are we still short-changing them?"
Ukraine brings home 175 POWs in Easter Eve swap with Russia
Ukraine has brought back home 175 soldiers and seven civilians held in Russian captivity in its latest exchange with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on April 11.
Russia's Defense Ministry also reported releasing 175 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in exchange for 175 Russian soldiers, adding that seven civilians were also released.
The prisoner exchange occurs a day before Easter, which is observed by Orthodox Christians on April 12.
According to Zelensky, those returned to Ukraine include soldiers taken prisoner during the battle for Mariupol, as well as others captured at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Kyiv Oblast and in various regions, including Donetsk, Kherson, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Russia's Kursk oblats.
President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said that among those freed were 25 Ukrainian officers, whose release was "an exceptionally difficult task."
Most of those released had been in Russian captivity since 2022, with the youngest being a 22-year-old soldier. The oldest of the freed captives is 63, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the soldiers returned ti Ukraine are in poor health, have sustained injuries and endure psychological distress.
"We continue working to bring all of our people home. More good news will follow soon," Budanov said.
While trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. are paused as attention shifts to the Middle East conflict, Kyiv maintains contact with Moscow on prisoner swaps, President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Ukrinform on April 9.
According to him, the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates helped to carry out the recent swap.
Note from the author:
Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.
