Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proposed a 30-day suspension of long-range drone and missile attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, following a temporary Easter truce that saw continued ground violence but no airstrikes.
On Sunday (local time), Zelenskyy shared on X that Russia violated its self-declared Easter ceasefire over 2,000 times, yet notably, there were no air raid alerts throughout the day.
“This is a format of ceasefire that has been achieved and is the easiest to extend,” Zelenskyy stated. “Ukraine proposes to cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for at least 30 days.”
Zelenskyy also made it clear that if Russia refuses, it would be “proof that it intends to continue doing only those things which destroy human lives and prolong the war.”
Details of Ceasefire Violations
Despite President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a 30-hour ceasefire for Easter, Zelenskyy claimed that:
- 67 Russian assaults were launched
- 1,355 shellings occurred, with 713 involving heavy weaponry
- 673 FPV drone attacks were recorded
- The highest intensity was seen in the Pokrovsk direction
Russia’s Counterclaims
In response, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) accused Ukrainian forces of breaching the truce:
“During the night of the #EasterCeasefire, the Kyiv regime launched 48 fixed-wing UAVs, including one over Crimea… and hit Russian positions 444 times using guns and mortars,” the MFA said on X.
According to Russia, Ukraine also executed 900 quadcopter drone strikes during the ceasefire period.
A Fragile Path to Peace
This marks the second major ceasefire attempt since the war began in 2022. The first, during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023, also collapsed under mutual accusations and battlefield aggression.
Zelenskyy’s latest proposal aims to create a realistic and scalable path to peace, starting with limiting strikes on civilians. Whether Russia will agree remains to be seen.
