Putin ordered the ceasefire so that people in Russia and Ukraine could celebrate Orthodox Easter. The Kremlin spoke of a humanitarian gesture.Image: keystone
April 12, 2026, 05:56April 12, 2026, 05:56
Ukraine has accused Russia of hundreds of violations of the Orthodox Easter ceasefire ordered by Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian General Staff in Kiev announced in the evening that it had registered 469 ceasefire violations. There were not only hundreds of attacks with drones, but also 153 cases of shelling and 22 storms. However, there was no official termination of the ceasefire, which is supposed to last for 32 hours until Sunday evening.
There was initially no Russian reaction to the Ukrainian allegations. However, the city administration in the Russian-controlled city of Nova Kakhovka in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson complained of drone attacks and at least one injured shortly after the ceasefire began.
Putin ordered the ceasefire so that people in Russia and Ukraine could celebrate Orthodox Easter. The Kremlin spoke of a humanitarian gesture. Putin has been waging his war of aggression against the neighboring country for more than four years.
Opponents announce reactions to ceasefire violations
Ukraine and Russia had each announced that they would respond to enemy fire. However, there was initially no mention of such reactions in the official communications. In the past, the warring parties had repeatedly accused each other of massive violations of the agreements during temporary ceasefires.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video message broadcast in Kiev that he hoped the ceasefire would work this time. «Easter should be a time of security and peace. It would be right if the ceasefire lasted beyond the holidays,” he said. “We have forwarded this proposal to Russia, and if Russia again chooses war over peace, it will once again show the world, and especially the United States, who really stands for what,” said Zelensky.
In negotiations with Ukraine under US mediation to end the war, Russia repeatedly stated that it rejected a ceasefire and a freeze in combat operations on the front line planned by Zelensky. Rather, a peace plan and an all-encompassing conflict solution should be negotiated before a permanent ceasefire in order to prevent further outbreaks of violence in the future. No such plan is currently in sight.
Zelenskyj warned Russia again against violations of the ceasefire: “Ukraine will react symmetrically,” he said. “If there are no Russian missiles or drones, we will also observe a ceasefire in the airspace. The same task applies to the front line. But each Ukrainian unit reserves the right to react,” he said. (sda/dpa)