KYIV: Russia and Ukraine on Sunday accused each other of violating an Easter ceasefire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Soviet troops were continuing their shooting and attack along the front line despite Putin announcing the shock peace.
The 30-hour ceasefire starting Saturday night to tag the spiritual holiday would be the most important pause in the battling throughout the three-year conflict.
But Zelensky accused Russia of having maintained its problems on the front line after the peace started.
Russia’s military government in switch said it had “repelled” attempted attack by Ukraine and accused Kyiv of launching robots and shell, causing civilian deaths.
Zelensky said Sunday, citing Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky, that” an increase in Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones has been observed since 10:00 am ( 0700 GMT )”.
Earlier he said that the first six days of the ceasefire saw” 387 cases of shooting and 19 rapes by Russian causes,” with robots “used by Russians 290 days”.
Ukraine’s air pressure on Sunday night had not reported any aircraft or missile strikes, yet.
AFP journalists heard explosions on Sunday morning around a dozen kilometres ( seven miles ) from the front line in east Ukraine.
Ukraine may respond” perfectly” to any problems, Zelensky said, accusing Russia of “attempting to make the general idea of a peace” while continuing secluded attacks.
Russia’s military government said that “despite the statement of the Easter peace, Ukrainian models at evening made attempts to attack” its positions in the Donetsk place,” which were repelled”.
Overnight, it said, Ukraine “444 days shelled… the opportunities of our army and carried out 900 cuts with robots”.
These problems left residents “dead and wounded”, the department said, without giving information.
It insisted its army had” strictly observed the peace and stayed at the front lines and posts they formerly occupied”.
Putin’s order to halt all fight over the Easter trip came after decades of attempts by US President Donald Trump to obtain Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a peace.
On Friday, Washington also threatened to retreat from discussions if no progress was made.
‘ Give peace a chance ‘
Putin announced the truce from 1800 ( 1500 GMT ) Saturday to midnight Sunday ( 2100 GMT Sunday ) in televised comments, saying it was motivated by “humanitarian reasons”.
While he expected Ukraine to agree, Putin said that Russian forces “must be prepared to avoid possible breaches of the peace and actions by the foe”.
Zelensky said Ukraine would follow suit, and proposed extending the truce beyond Sunday.
” Russia must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire. Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table,” Zelensky’s post said Sunday.
Earlier he suggested that” 30 days could give peace a chance”– while pointing out that Putin had already rejected a proposed 30-day full and unconditional ceasefire.
‘Can’t trust Russia ‘
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022.
Previous attempts at holding ceasefires for Easter in April 2022 and Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 were not implemented after both sides failed to agree on them.
In Kyiv on Sunday, as Easter bells rang out, people expressed doubts over whether Russia would observe a truce while welcoming Zelensky’s proposal to extend it.
” They’ve already broken their promise. Unfortunately, we cannot trust Russia today,” said 38-year-old Olga Grachova, who works in marketing.
” Our president has clearly said that if they announce a 30-hour ceasefire, we will announce a 30-day ceasefire. So let them go for it… so that this terrible war ends, so that our people, our soldiers, and children stop dying,” said Sergiy Klochko, 30, a railway worker.
But Natalia, a 41-year-old medic, said of Zelensky’s 30-day proposal:” Everything we offer, unfortunately, remains only our offers. Nobody responds to them. “
On the streets of Moscow, Yevgeny Pavlov, 58, did not think Russia should give Ukraine a breather.
” There is no need to give them respite. If we press, it means we should press to the end,” he told AFP.
