Several explosions were reported early on Sunday in Russian-controlled Donetsk, casting doubt over a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed as a façade.
As Orthodox Christians marked Easter, both Kyiv and Moscow traded accusations of continued hostilities, with Ukraine saying Russian forces attempted overnight assaults despite President Vladimir Putin’s surprise call for a one-day truce.
At least three blasts were heard in Donetsk after 09:00 local time (0600 GMT), Russian state news agencies TASS and RIA said, citing local emergency services and reporters on the ground.
The city has been under Russian control since 2014. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield accounts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of creating a "false impression" of calm while continuing attacks along the front line.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered a temporary halt in fighting from late Saturday until midnight Moscow time (2100 GMT) on Sunday, in a surprise gesture tied to Orthodox Easter celebrations. However, Ukrainian officials said the ceasefire was largely symbolic and violated within hours.
“In general, as of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelensky said in a social media post.
Ukraine’s military said there had been 59 recorded instances of shelling and five ground assaults overnight along the front line.
A spokesperson for the country’s eastern front added that while overall activity had decreased, fighting had not stopped. “It is decreasing, but it hasn't disappeared. To be honest, we didn't hold out much hope that this would actually happen,” said Viktor Trehubov.
Zelensky said Kyiv remained open to extending the truce to 30 days but warned that Ukraine would respond to aggression in kind. “Ukraine will continue to act in a mirror manner,” he said.
The ceasefire announcement came shortly after the United States warned it could pull out of peace talks unless both sides showed genuine interest in negotiations.
The European Union responded cautiously, noting that Moscow could halt the war altogether if it chose to.
The United Nations reaffirmed support for “a just, lasting and comprehensive peace” that respects Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Easter this year fell on the same day for both Orthodox and Western churches. In his holiday message, Zelensky called on Ukrainians not to lose hope: “We know what we are defending. We know what we are fighting for. For whom and for whose sake,” he said, standing before Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral in traditional Ukrainian dress.
(With inputs from agencies)
