Orthodox Easter truce falters as Ukraine says Russia continues drone strikes despite ceasefire

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia continued to onslaught Ukrainian positions with drones aft a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect Saturday, a Ukrainian subject serviceman told The Associated Press, casting contiguous uncertainty implicit the truce.

“The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications serviceman for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade.

He said that portion artillery occurrence had paused successful the assemblage wherever his brigade was working, astatine the junction of the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions, Russian forces continued to usage drones to onslaught Ukrainian positions.

He said Ukrainian forces were responding with “silence to soundlessness and occurrence to fire.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire implicit the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. Saturday until the extremity of Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised Saturday to abide by the ceasefire, describing it arsenic an accidental to physique connected bid initiatives. But helium warned determination would beryllium a swift subject effect to immoderate violations.

“Easter should beryllium a clip of soundlessness and safety. A ceasefire (at) Easter could besides go the opening of existent question toward peace,” Zelenskyy wrote successful an online station connected Saturday.

But helium added: “We each recognize who we are dealing with. Ukraine volition adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly successful kind.”

Ukraine earlier projected to Russia a intermission successful attacks connected each other’s vigor infrastructure implicit the Orthodox Easter holiday.

Previous ceasefire attempts person had small impact, with some sides accusing each different of violations.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov connected Friday described Putin’s determination arsenic a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused connected a broad colony based connected its longstanding demands — a cardinal sticking constituent that has prevented the 2 sides from reaching an agreement.

Deaths successful Odesa up of ceasefire

Hours earlier the ceasefire was owed to begin, Russian drone strikes killed astatine slightest 2 radical successful the Ukrainian metropolis of Odesa overnight into Saturday, section authorities reported.

A further 2 radical were wounded successful the onslaught connected the Black Sea larboard city, erstwhile drones deed a residential area, damaging flat buildings, houses and a kindergarten.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were changeable down oregon intercepted, hours earlier a projected Easter ceasefire was owed to travel into force.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said 99 Ukrainian drones were changeable down overnight crossed Russia and occupied Crimea.

Prisoners exchanged

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that a captive swap Saturday brought location 175 of its soldiers.

Zelenskyy confirmed Saturday’s exchange, saying that 175 work members and 7 civilians were returned.

“Most had been held successful captivity since 2022. And finally, they are home,” helium wrote connected X.

At the speech tract successful bluish Ukraine, Svitlana Pohosyan waited for her son’s return. Asked astir the ceasefire, she said: “I privation to judge it. God willing, whitethorn it beryllium so. We volition judge and anticipation that everything volition beryllium fine, that a ceasefire volition travel connected specified a beatified day, and that determination volition beryllium bid — bid successful Ukraine and bid successful the full world.”

“My solemnisation volition travel erstwhile my lad returns,” she added. “I volition clasp him successful my arms — and that volition beryllium the top solemnisation for me. And for each mother, each family.”

Periodic captive exchanges person been 1 of the fewer affirmative outcomes of different fruitless monthslong U.S.-brokered negotiations betwixt Moscow and Kyiv. The talks person delivered nary advancement connected cardinal issues preventing an extremity to Russia’s penetration of its neighbor, present successful its 5th year.

Separately, 7 residents of Russia's Kursk portion returned from Ukraine Saturday aft they were captured by the Ukrainian army, Russian authorities media reported. They were greeted astatine the Belarusian-Ukrainian borderline by Russia's quality rights ombudswoman, Tatyana Moskalkova.

According to Moskalkova, the returnees were the past of those who were taken to Ukraine from the Kursk portion aft the Ukrainian service took power of parts of the portion successful 2024.

Ukrainian forces made a astonishment incursion into Kursk successful August 2024 successful 1 of their biggest battlefield successes successful the war. The incursion was the archetypal clip Russian territory was occupied by an invader since World War II and dealt a humiliating stroke to the Kremlin.

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Zhyhinas reported from bluish Ukraine. Morton reported from London.

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