The Easter ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was 15 hours old when Ukraine's military recorded its 2,299th violation. By Easter Sunday morning, the ledger included 28 assault actions, 479 instances of shelling, 747 loitering munition strikes, and 1,045 FPV drone attacks — a level of violence indistinguishable from an ordinary day of war, dressed in the language of peace. [1]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Russia to extend the truce beyond its scheduled Sunday midnight expiration. "People need an Easter without threats and a real move towards peace, and Russia has a chance not to return to" fighting, Zelenskyy said. [1] Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha formalized the request, proposing that strikes not resume when the window closed.

The Kremlin refused. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the Easter truce a "temporary humanitarian measure" and said Moscow wanted a "permanent peace deal, not a ceasefire." The statement carried a particular irony: Russia had initially rejected Zelenskyy's ceasefire proposal on March 30, then announced its own 32-hour unilateral truce on April 10, framing it as a Kremlin initiative rather than a response to Kyiv's offer. [1]

The violation data illuminated the gap between the ceasefire's announcement and its execution. Within the first hours after the truce began at 4:00 PM Saturday, Ukraine documented 469 violations — including 22 assault actions, 153 shelling incidents, 19 attack drone strikes, and 275 FPV drone attacks. The pace did not slow overnight. By dawn on Easter Sunday, the cumulative count had nearly quintupled. [1]

The pattern is familiar. The 2025 Easter ceasefire saw roughly 3,000 violations over a comparable period. Russia's approach has been consistent: announce the pause, harvest the diplomatic optics, and continue firing. The truce functions as a narrative instrument, not a military one.

Zelenskyy's proposal to extend the ceasefire was itself a calculated move. By asking publicly, he forced the Kremlin into a recorded refusal — useful material for international audiences at a moment when diplomatic attention has drifted toward the U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad. The message was not that Russia would accept. The message was that Russia would say no, and that the world would watch it say no. [1]

Putin's broader demands remain unchanged: Ukraine must cede the remainder of Donbas, roughly 6,000 square kilometers of territory. Zelenskyy has repeatedly rejected this as capitulation. No formal negotiating channel exists between the two sides. The truce expires at midnight. [1]

-- KATYA VOLKOV, Moscow