On 20 April morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of violating its own declared “Easter ceasefire,” citing continued assaults across multiple front sectors. He accused Russia of trying to create the illusion of a ceasefire while maintaining isolated attacks and inflicting losses on Ukraine.
Zelenskyy reported that Russian military operations persisted despite the declared truce. In a statement, he noted that Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi briefed him that as of 6 a.m. today, Russian ground assaults, shelling and drone attacks continued in several frontline sectors.
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Based on Syrskyi’s frontline briefing from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Zelenskyy reported that Russian forces launched 59 artillery strikes and carried out 5 ground assaults:
- 1 combat engagement in the area of operational-tactical command Starobilsk;
- 3 engagements in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions in the zone of operational-tactical command Donetsk;
- 1 engagement near Stepove in the Zaporizhzhia direction;
- Dozens of FPV drone attacks were recorded;
-
shelling and drone attacks were launched by Russian forces in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
From 18:00 to midnight on 19 April, Russian troops carried out:
- 387 artillery strikes
- 19 ground assaults
- Deployment of 290 drones
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President Zelenskyy emphasized that despite the holiday period, Russia continued offensive actions aimed at producing the impression of a ceasefire. He stated,
“Russia must fully comply with the conditions of silence,” Zelenskyy said, also confirming that Ukraine’s offer to extend the ceasefire by 30 days after 00:00 on 21 April remains valid, adding, “We will act according to the real situation.”