Russia-Ukraine Easter ceasefire ends

A Russia-Ukraine ceasefire ended late Sunday (2100GMT) following a 32-hour truce for Orthodox Easter.

Moscow and Kyiv accused each other of violating the ceasefire, reporting more than a thousand drone and shelling attacks just hours after the truce began at 4 pm Moscow time (1300GMT).

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that it recorded a total of 1,971 ceasefire violations by Ukraine overnight Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff claimed in a separate statement that it recorded a total of 7,696 violations since the start of the truce until 10 pm (1900GMT) Sunday.

Independent verification of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war, which entered its fifth year in February.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the ceasefire on Thursday, ordering the military command to prepare for its implementation, warning that if Ukraine undertakes a provocation, Moscow would respond.

Hours before the ceasefire came into force, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv would join the initiative and act “in a mirror manner.”