Zelenskyy says Russia is trying to create an ‘impression of a ceasefire’ as attacks continue

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Sunday of creating a false appearance of honoring an Easter ceasefire saying Moscow continued to launch attacks after Russian President Vladimir Putin reported a unilateral temporary truce As of Easter morning we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire but in selected places it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine Zelenskyy reported in a post on X Despite Putin s declaration of an Easter ceasefire Zelenskyy commented Sunday morning that Ukrainian forces had recorded instances of Russian shelling and five assaults by units along the front line as well as dozens of drone strikes In later updates Zelenskyy declared that despite Ukraine declaring a symmetrical approach to Russian actions the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues He revealed however that it was a good thing at least that there were no air raid sirens He noted that various Ukrainian troops were killed in a Russian ambush on Sunday in the Donetsk region and noted the Russian soldiers responsible would be eliminated Russia s Defense Ministry accused Ukrainian forces of overnight attacks in the Donetsk region despite the ceasefire It commented Ukraine had sent drones into Russian territory According to the ministry there were dead and wounded among the civilian population without giving details It claimed Russian troops had strictly observed the truce Russia-installed executives in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson also mentioned Ukrainian forces had launched attacks Zelenskyy commented that Russia must fully adhere to the ceasefire conditions and reiterated Ukraine s offer to extend the truce for days when it ends midnight Sunday Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced Moscow had not responded to Kyiv s proposal In practice 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 Zelenskyy wrote Just hours after announcing the ceasefire Putin attended an Easter organization late Saturday at Moscow s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour led by Patriarch Kirill head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a vocal supporter of Putin and the war in Ukraine Putin offered no details on how the ceasefire would be monitored or whether it would cover airstrikes or ongoing ground battles that rage around the clock His announcement came after U S President Donald Trump announced Friday that negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are coming to a head and insisted that neither side is playing him in his push to end the grinding three-year war The State Department declared Sunday that the U S is committed to a full and comprehensive ceasefire It noted encouraging discussions this past week in Paris about peace prospects in Ukraine which Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed in a call to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine Morton communicated from London Source