On what should have been a peaceful Easter morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed frustration and heartbreak, saying that while Russia claimed to observe a ceasefire, its actions told a very different story.
In a heartfelt message shared on social media, Zelenskiy said, “This morning, when families should have been gathered in peace, the Russian army tried to create the illusion of silence. But in reality, they continued their attacks in several areas, showing once again that their words don’t match their actions.”
Just hours before he attended an Orthodox Easter service on Saturday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a sudden one-day ceasefire, instructing his military to halt operations along the front line of the now three-year-old war. The ceasefire was meant to last from 6 p.m. Saturday to midnight Sunday.
The gesture came shortly after the U.S. warned it might walk away from peace talks unless both Russia and Ukraine demonstrated genuine commitment to negotiations.
But on the ground in Ukraine, it felt like just another day of war. According to Zelenskiy, there were hundreds of instances of shelling on Saturday evening alone. By early Sunday, Ukrainian forces reported 59 separate shelling attacks and five direct assaults.
“Russia must fully honor what it promises,” Zelenskiy stressed, adding that Ukraine had been ready to extend the ceasefire for 30 days—a real chance for both sides to breathe, mourn, and hope. “But if they keep fighting today, then Ukraine will continue to defend itself. We will respond in kind.”
Zelenskiy’s words reflect a deep exhaustion felt by many Ukrainians—caught between calls for peace and the bitter reality of ongoing violence, even during the holiest of days.
