A temporary truce between Russia and Ukraine to mark Orthodox Easter has formally expired, with both sides accusing each other of thousands of violations despite a noticeable lull in large-scale attacks.
The 32-hour ceasefire began at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Saturday, April 11, 2026, and ended late Sunday, April 12, 2026.
The truce followed an order by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier proposed a ceasefire more than a week before.
Despite the agreement, both countries reported widespread breaches.
Ukraine’s military said that as of 10:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Sunday, April 12, 2026, it had recorded 7,696 violations by Russian forces. It noted that while there was some adherence to the ceasefire, combat operations continued in certain areas, including the use of FPV and kamikaze drones.
Russia’s defence ministry, however, accused Ukraine of nearly 2,000 violations within the same period. According to Moscow, Ukrainian forces carried out artillery and tank attacks, launched over 1,300 drone strikes, and dropped munitions multiple times during the truce.
The ministry also alleged that Ukrainian troops launched nighttime attacks and attempted advances along the front line, all of which it said were repelled.
In his Saturday evening address on April 11, 2026, Zelensky called for an extension of the ceasefire, stating that Ukraine had formally made the proposal to Moscow. However, the Kremlin, through its spokesman Dmitry Peskov, rejected any extension unless Kyiv accepted Russia’s conditions.
“Until Zelensky assumes this responsibility, the special military operation will continue after the truce expires,” Peskov said.
Despite the reported violations, there were signs the ceasefire had some effect. Ukraine said it recorded no long-range drone strikes, guided bombings, or missile attacks during the period.
In the Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian officer described the situation in his sector as relatively calm, allowing soldiers to attend Easter Sunday services.
Similarly, in Russia’s Kursk region, authorities accused Ukrainian forces of a drone strike on a gas station in Lgov, which reportedly injured three people, including a baby.
Residents in Ukraine’s southern city of Zaporizhzhia expressed scepticism about the truce, with some suggesting it was too short to be meaningful.
The development comes amid stalled peace efforts following multiple rounds of US-backed negotiations that have failed to produce a breakthrough since the war began in February 2022.
Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along current front lines, but Russia has rejected the idea, insisting on full control of the Donetsk region — a demand Kyiv considers unacceptable.
The war, now in its fourth year, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, making it the deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II. Russia currently controls just over 19 per cent of Ukrainian territory, much of it captured in the early stages of the invasion.
