Russia-Ukraine war: Thousands of breaches reported after brief Easter truce collapses

Easter ceasefire Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky Russia and Ukraine accused each other of thousands of violations on Sunday, an incident that was quickly resolved despite a temporary cessation of fighting during the Orthodox Christian holiday.The 32-hour truce ordered by Moscow from late Saturday was seen as a humanitarian gesture and Kyiv agreed to abide by it while warning it would respond to any violations. Within hours, however, both sides reported continued hostilities along some 1,200 kilometers of front lines, underscoring the fragility of such agreements in a war that is now in its fifth year.The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukrainian forces committed 1,971 violations during the ceasefire window, including shelling, tank attacks and more than 1,000 drone strikes. It also accuses Kiev of trying multiple offensives along the front, but all were repulsed. Ukraine reported higher numbers, saying it recorded 2,299 breaches, including dozens of raids, hundreds of shellings and widespread drone activity.Despite the accusations, there are signs that market calm will be limited. Ukrainian officials said there were no long-range missile attacks or large-scale aerial bombardments during the truce, a significant change from the near-daily attacks in recent months. In parts of the front line, soldiers described conditions as relatively calm, allowing some to attend Easter services in a rare moment away from the fighting.Still, Ukrainian officials say Russian drone strikes are continuing in multiple areas even as the artillery fire has subsided. Kyiv insists it is reacting accordingly, “silence to silence, fire to fire.”The ceasefire comes after a new but stalled round of diplomatic efforts, including U.S.-backed talks, that failed to achieve a breakthrough. While the Kremlin described the truce as a step towards a broader solution, it reiterated its long-standing demands, particularly on territorial issues, which remain unacceptable to Ukraine.There was a brief pause after the fatal escalation. Just hours before the truce began, Russian drone strikes killed civilians in cities including Odessa and Kherson, with both sides reporting interceptions of numerous incoming drones at night.