After more than three years of war, the talk of an Easter truce in fighting between Russia and Ukraine was met with some skepticism, and it does indeed seem to have failed to materialize.
A unilateral truce was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 19, running from 6 p.m. that day until midnight on April 20.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency TASS that the cease-fire would not extend beyond midnight. Ukrainian officials have said it has not been observed anyway.
"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,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X on April 20.
Zelenskyy had said his country would observe the truce and suggested extending it to 30 days.
Both sides, however, have reported that attacks by the other continued on Easter Sunday, though it was not possible to independently confirm battlefield claims.
Video sent to RFE/RL by a Ukrainian humanitarian organization appeared to show a drone attack on vehicles evacuating civilians near Kostyantynivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
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Russian Attack On Humanitarian Mission Vehicle
Yevhen Tkachev from the Proliska organization and a civilian woman were injured. She and her husband, who was suffering from shock, were taken to a hospital.
Zelenskyy posted on social media on April 20 that "the highest level of Russian combat activity this Easter is in the Pokrovsk direction," which is located some 50 kilometers southwest of Kostyantynivka.
"Putin's words about a 'cease-fire' have also proven empty in the Kursk region, the Siversk direction, and other directions in the Donetsk region," Zelenskyy added.
The Ukrainian general staff reported shelling, assaults, and drone attacks.
Russian authorities reported at least three explosions in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine early on April 20. The Defense Ministry claimed Kyiv launched 48 drone attacks on targets in Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine overnight.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s forces were acting "in a fully symmetrical manner" to Moscow's.
Meanwhile, in a further sign of heightened international tensions since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Britain's Defense Ministry reported recently intercepting Russian warplanes over the Baltic Sea.
It cited two incidents, on April 15 and 17, in which British jets were scrambled to intercept Russian aircraft. Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard said on April 20 that "Russian aggression" was growing and that British jets were working with the Swedish Air Force to defend NATO airspace.
What Do Ukrainians Think Of Easter Cease-Fire?
In Kyiv, as priests sprinkled worshippers with holy water, there was deep skepticism about the Easter truce.
"I really hope for it but I do not believe in it. They (the Russians) say one thing but do the opposite," said Dmytro, a 37-year-old IT worker.
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Kyiv and Moscow residents doubtful of the cease-fire
"Nobody believes in it," said 40-year-old Olha Malashuk, who works in sales. "[Putin] probably wants to rearm the troops, that is why no one believes him anymore."
There was also doubt reported among civilians in Moscow, where RFE/RL is effectively banned and unable to operate.
Evgeny Pavlov, 58, told the AFP news agency that "it's pointless because I don't trust Ukraine."
"We shouldn't give them a break. If we're pressing them, we should finish the job," he added.
Maria Goranina, 85, said, "We need to end this -- either yes or no. Either make peace permanently or not at all."
This was a sentiment also voiced by EU foreign affairs spokeswoman Anitta Hipper.
SEE ALSO: Amid Interrogations And Threats, Ukrainian Civilians Flee Russian Occupation"Russia could stop this war at any moment if it really wanted to.... We continue to support Ukraine for a long, just, and comprehensive peace," she said after the truce was announced on April 19.
Trump's Threat To Walk Away
Putin's truce announcement followed signals from US President Donald Trump and other US officials complaining about the slow progress in talks to resolve the Ukraine war, now in its fourth year.
Trump on April 18 said the Ukraine and Russia talks are "coming to a head" and he insisted that neither side is "playing" him in his push to end the conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, warned that the United States may "move on" from trying to secure a peace deal if there is no progress in coming days.
Putin has made holiday cease-fire proposals in the past. In January 2023, Putin ordered a 36-hour cease-fire for Orthodox Christmas. At the time, Zelenskyy dismissed the Russian call as playing for time to regroup its forces.