Russian ambush undermines Easter truce, Zelensky vows retaliation
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, revealed that Ukrainian soldiers fell into a Russian ambush in the Toretsk direction. "Some servicemen have been killed. The Russian soldiers responsible for this will be eliminated," he stated in a network post.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced an Easter truce in the war with Ukraine, which, according to him, was supposed to last for 30 hours — from 11 AM ET on Saturday to 5 PM on Sunday. Shortly after the truce was supposed to start, the head of the Ukrainian government's Center for Counteracting Disinformation, Andriy Kovalenko, reported that Russian forces continue to attack Ukrainian positions.
Zelensky, in a statement, presented the situation based on data from the report by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The report indicates that despite Putin’s announcement of a ceasefire, Russian forces continued to intensify their use of heavy weaponry along the front lines throughout Sunday.
The Ukrainian president pointed out that "Putin's words about a 'ceasefire' turned out to be empty."
Zelensky also conveyed that Ukrainian soldiers fell into a Russian ambush.
"In the Toretsk direction, unfortunately, our soldiers fell into a Russian ambush. There are casualties. The Russian soldiers who carried out this attack will be eliminated," he wrote on social media.
Fighting continued during the truce
The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of violating the terms of the Easter truce. According to Russia, the Ukrainian armed forces shelled Russian positions 444 times and conducted 900 drone attacks. The Russians claim that as a result of these actions, there are civilian casualties and injuries.
The Ukrainian armed forces strongly refute Russia's accusations. They assert that their actions are merely a response to Russian attacks, which began right after Putin announced the truce.
