Ukraine's Response to Russia's Ceasefire Violations
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported after the briefing from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, that the Russians violated the "Easter ceasefire" 2935 times. He emphasized that Ukraine's actions will be a "mirror" response to the aggressor's actions.
Direct quote from Zelensky: "The total number of violations by the Russian army of its own promise of silence within this day is 2935".
Zelensky noted that most attacks occurred in the Pokrovsk direction.
He added that "the Russian promise of complete silence did not hold in the Kursk direction either".
According to Zelensky, there were a total of 96 Russian assault actions, 1882 shellings of Ukrainian positions, including 812 from heavy artillery, and over 950 instances of Russian FPV drones being deployed.
Direct quote from Zelensky: "On this day, Moscow lacked the time to respond to the proposal for a complete ceasefire for the next 30 days after Easter, as well as the suggestion to at least maintain silence in the skies regarding civilian infrastructure and to refrain from missile and drone strikes".
The nature of Ukrainian actions will remain mirrored: we will respond to silence with silence, and our strikes will counter Russian attacks. Actions always speak louder than words".
Background: On the evening of April 19, Zelensky, after the report from Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that the Russian "Easter ceasefire" does not apply to the Kursk and Belgorod regions of the Russian Federation, and shelling did not cease in parts of other frontline directions.
Zelensky is also proposing to Russia to extend the ban on long-range strikes for 30 days, as no air raid alerts were recorded during the so-called "Easter ceasefire" despite numerous violations by the Russian side on the front.
History:
- On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an "Easter ceasefire," supposedly intended to halt all combat operations in Ukraine from the evening of April 19 until midnight on April 21. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the occupiers would adhere to the ceasefire regime provided that Kyiv also complies.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Saturday evening that Ukraine would respond in kind regarding Russia's ceasefire. He also suggested extending the truce after April 20 if complete silence truly prevailed.
- According to the monitoring project DeepState, military personnel on almost all fronts did not experience the so-called "Easter ceasefire" that was promised by the Russians.
- According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, since the beginning of April 20, as of 4 PM, despite the announced "ceasefire" by Russia, there were 45 combat clashes on the frontline, 20 of which were in the Pokrovsk direction.
- The Kremlin stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had not issued any orders to extend the so-called "Easter ceasefire," which the Russians had not adhered to anyway, after midnight on April 21.
