Ukraine war latest: Moscow violates 'Easter truce,' Ukraine brings home 277 POWs in swap with Russia

Key developments on April 19-20:

Multiple Russian ceasefire violations reported from front line during Easter ceasefire, Zelensky says
Ukraine brings home 277 POWs in swap with Russia
Ukraine advances in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, Zelensky says
Republican US Congressman Fitzpatrick visits Ukraine’s front line, signs a shell for Putin
Russia prepares to push toward Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, monitoring group says

Multiple Russian ceasefire violations across the front line have been reported since an Easter truce was declared by the Kremlin, President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on April 20.

Russia’s Easter ceasefire was supposed to come into effect at 6 p.m. on April 19 and last until midnight on April 21, with Russian President Vladimir Putin claiming it would “test Ukraine’s sincerity in pursuing peace talks."

However, the Armed Forces of Ukraine has observed an increase in Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones since 10 a.m., with the use of FPV drones “doubling,” according to Zelensky, relaying information provided by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Russian forces have already carried out 26 assaults between midnight and noon today, Zelensky added.

The Russian military is reportedly most active in the Pokrovsk and Siversk directions in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast.

“We are documenting every Russian violation of its self-declared commitment to a full ceasefire for the Easter period and are prepared to provide the necessary information to our partners,” Zelensky said.

“Either Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favorable PR coverage."

Zelensky also repeated his call to pressure Moscow to “genuinely commit to a ceasefire” for 30 days, rather than simply during the Easter holiday.

Russian FPV drone attacks targeting civilians were also reported in Ukraine’s southern Kherson Oblast after the Easter ceasefire came into effect, with at least four people reported injured and one person killed.

`Ukraine brings home 277 POWs in swap with Russia`

Ukraine brought home another 277 soldiers in a major prisoner exchange with Russia ahead of the Easter holiday, President Zelensky announced on April 19.

The latest swap was mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

“I thank everyone who made this return of our people possible,” Zelensky said. “I am especially grateful to the United Arab Emirates for their mediation."

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs), 246 Ukrainian service members were released as part of the exchange with Russia. Another 31 were released outside of the exchange.

Previously, Sky News reported that the Easter swap would involve 246 POWs from each side, as well as 46 injured soldiers.

The soldiers released on April 19 took part in the defense of Mariupol and other parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts, Zelensky said.

The service members belonged to Ukraine’s Armed Forces, National Guard, State Transport Service, and Border Guard Service, but most were from the Marine Corps, especially those taken prisoner in the surrounded city of Mariupol in April 2022.

The returned prisoners include nine officers and 268 privates and sergeants, the Coordination Headquarters reported.

This is the 63rd prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. The most recent POW exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on March 19, with 175 Ukrainians brought back home.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Kyiv has returned 4,552 people from Russia’s captivity, including both soldiers and civilians, according to Zelensky.

Ukraine floated the idea of an all-for-all prisoner exchange back in 2024, but Russia has not agreed to the proposal.

`Ukraine advances in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, Zelensky says`

Ukrainian forces have advanced in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, President Zelensky claimed on April 19, citing a report from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Ukraine launched a small-scale offensive in Belgorod Oblast in late March, marking Kyiv’s second cross-border operation in Russian territory after the August 2024 Kursk incursion.

Zelensky said on April 19 that Syrskyi briefed him on the activity of Ukrainian troops in Russia.

“Our forces continued their activity in Kursk Oblast today and are maintaining their positions. In Belgorod Oblast, our military advanced and increased our zone of control,” Zelensky said.

The report comes nearly two weeks after the president confirmed the presence of Ukrainian forces in Belgorod Oblast. Zelensky on April 7 said that cross-border operations were “absolutely just” and a means of returning Russia’s war “to where it came from."

Kyiv has carried out occasional cross-border raids since 2023, with a variety of Russian volunteer soldiers fighting alongside Ukrainian units. These raids were hours-long and served primarily as political operations rather than military ones.

Ukraine launched a major cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, occupying Russian border territories in an attempt to divert Russian attention from front-line areas of eastern Ukraine.

While Kyiv managed to occupy parts of Kursk Oblast for seven months, Russia recaptured the logistics hub of Sudzha in March 2025 amid a counteroffensive that forced Ukrainian troops to withdraw from a substantial part of the region.

Russian military bloggers and independent analysts reported on March 29 that Ukrainian forces advanced three to four kilometers into Belgorod Oblast, engaging in battles with Russian troops.

`Republican US Congressman Fitzpatrick visits Ukraine’s front line, signs a shell for Putin`

U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a pro-Ukraine Republican representing Pennsylvania, visited Ukrainian troops near the front line on April 18, following his meeting with President Zelensky in Kyiv.

“These are amazing soldiers, the men and women of the Ukrainian military, much like the men and women of the U.S. military, have this amazing fighting spirit. They’re fighting for their democracy, they’re fighting for the freedom – all of us in America need to stand behind them,” Fitzpatrick said in a video address filmed on the front line, published on his Facebook account.

“I always have and always will have their back. I encourage all my colleagues in Congress to come here."

Fitzpatrick’s visit comes as Washington signaled that it was ready to cease its mediation efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine if one of the sides “makes it difficult."

In a post shared on Facebook, Fitzpatrick published another video, showing him signing an artillery shell with a message to Vladimir Putin.

“It was my profound honor to deliver a very ‘personal’ message to Vladimir Putin today, from the front lines of the war near the Russian border, on behalf of our PA-1 community,” Fitzpatrick wrote.

The congressman said he had spent several days on the ground, visiting artillery units of the National Guard and the drone operators from the Third Assault Brigade, who he praised for “completely changing warfare - not just here but across the globe."

Fitzpatrick said that during the visit, the group was shelled near the Russian border, tracked by Russian drones, and forced to carry out an emergency evacuation from the area.

According to Fitzpatrick, the territories previously occupied by Russian forces were “completely burned down."

“That’s what they do. They overwhelm you with bodies, overwhelm you with artillery with not a lot of thought behind it,” he said.

Earlier on April 17, Fitzpatrick met with Zelensky, during which the two discussed U.S. security guarantees for Ukraine, Washington’s proposed full and unconditional ceasefire, and broader efforts to achieve what Zelensky described as “a dignified and lasting peace."

`Russia prepares to push toward Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast, monitoring group says`

Russian troops are solidifying their presence in the village of Kalynove in Donetsk Oblast as they prepare for an advance toward Stara Mykolaivka and the road to Kostiantynivka, Ukrainian monitoring group DeepState reported on April 18.

Russian forces are deploying infantry and establishing logistical routes and communication lines in Kalynove, according to DeepState.

There has been a notable slowdown in Russia’s offensive operations after months of steady territorial gains across eastern Ukraine. According to a DeepState report from April 1, Russian troops captured just 133 square kilometers in March — the lowest monthly total since June 2024.

Ukrainian soldiers operating in the area reported an overwhelming presence of Russian drones in the area of Kalynove, according to DeepState. New Russian drone crews, previously active in battles in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, have arrived to the area, the group said.

Russian forces are attempting to disrupt Ukrainian logistics and are now able to operate drones deep enough to reach Kostiantynivka, the report added.

Kostiantynivka is a city in Donetsk Oblast with a pre-war population of 67,000 people. The city has been one of the key logistical hubs for the Ukrainian military in Donetsk Oblast since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. It is currently located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) southwest of the front line in Chasiv Yar.

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