In a worrying escalation, Russian military forces are reportedly ignoring a recently declared Easter ceasefire and continue their assaults on Ukrainian positions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday, April 20, in a Telegram message. You can view the message.

According to Zelensky, Ukrainian positions were attacked 59 times overnight, with five storming actions by Russian troops observed. "Our forces are responding appropriately given the circumstances," Zelensky wrote, adding that Ukraine will maintain a reciprocal strategy. By Saturday evening, the Ukrainian military had recorded 387 Russian shellings and 19 assault operations.

He noted that "by Easter morning, it has become evident that while Russia projects an image of a ceasefire, sporadic attempts to advance and inflict damage on Ukraine persist." Zelensky urged Russia to uphold the ceasefire and reiterated Kyiv’s proposal to extend it by 30 days beyond Easter. On Saturday, he had already agreed to the ceasefire terms, suggesting an extension, while accusing Moscow of ongoing attacks and shellings.

Meanwhile, authorities in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories also claimed ceasefire breaches, attributing attacks to Ukrainian forces. Moscow-appointed "governor of Kherson region," Vladimir Saldo, accused Ukrainian forces of using drones and mortar strikes on Alyoshki, Hola Prystan, and Kakhovka. Additionally, Special Envoy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rodion Miroshnik, alleged that areas in the Donbas, including Nikitovsky district in Horlivka and the surroundings of Kreminna, were shelled early on April 20. The Russian Ministry of Defense later stated that Ukraine had targeted Russian positions 444 times and conducted 900 drone strikes following the ceasefire declaration.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Easter ceasefire from 6 p.m. on April 19 until midnight on April 21. This 30-hour ceasefire was meant for Russian troops to halt all combat operations, according to Kremlin's press release.