Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Sunday, April 12, 2026, of violating a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire in Ukraine, with both sides reporting thousands of breaches that underscore the fragility of temporary truces in the conflict that has raged since 2022. The General Staff of Ukraine's armed forces said in a statement Sunday that it had recorded 2,299 ceasefire violations by 7 a.m., including assaults, shelling and small drone launches. Russia's Defense Ministry said Sunday it had recorded 1,971 ceasefire violations by Ukrainian forces, including drone strikes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. on Saturday until the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to abide by the ceasefire, but warned there would be a swift military response to any violations. Zelenskyy said his nation's forces would respond "symmetrically" to Russian attacks during the ceasefire, calling Easter "a time of peace."
Violations and Casualties
The Ukrainian military reported that the use of long-range drones, missiles or guided bombs had not been reported. A Ukrainian military officer told The Associated Press on Saturday that Russian forces had continued to attack their positions. The BBC reported that Russian troops mounted 28 attacks and carried out nearly 2,000 drone strikes, but did not use bombs or missiles.
The head of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that rescuers uncovered the bodies of two civilians who were killed in a Ukrainian attack on Saturday afternoon. The BBC reported that Russian forces in the north-eastern Kharkiv region executed four Ukrainian soldiers after the ceasefire came into force, according to the local prosecutor's office, which described the incident as a "grave violation of international humanitarian law." Ukraine's military said the troops were shot after being disarmed, calling it "another war crime by Russia." Ukrainian authorities published what appeared to be an image taken by a drone showing four bodies lying in a clearing.
In Ukraine's northern Sumy region, local authorities said a Russian drone hit an ambulance overnight, injuring three medics. Russia's defense ministry said Ukraine had launched three overnight attacks on positions in the Pokrovsk area and Otradne in Dnipropetrovsk region, and that four attempts by Ukrainian troops to advance in Sumy and Donetsk were "thwarted." The Russian defense ministry said Ukrainian forces had committed 1,971 violations, including three attempted counter-attacks in Dnipropetrovsk region.
Diplomatic Stalemate Continues
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the Easter ceasefire earlier this week, having previously resisted repeated calls from Ukraine for a temporary cessation of fighting. Earlier in the year, Putin acquiesced to a US request to halt strikes on energy infrastructure as Ukraine braced for bitterly cold temperatures. Zelenskyy said he hoped the truce could be extended beyond Easter to facilitate peace negotiations, but Russia rejected the idea, saying its attacks would resume on Monday.
Both Ukrainian and Russian sources accused each other of limited violations in the first few hours of the truce on Saturday before making the much larger claims. Ukrainian and Russian authorities also announced they had each swapped 175 prisoners of war on Saturday, including seven civilians a piece. Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on the front lines of the conflict, which has been raging since 2022, have low expectations about the ceasefire.
Kyiv has long pushed for a more comprehensive ceasefire, which it and its European allies see as a necessary first step toward striking a lasting end to the full-scale invasion. Moscow has insisted on agreeing a peace deal first, prompting accusations that it is not serious about ending the fighting.
Why This Matters:
The collapse of the Easter ceasefire demonstrates the fundamental challenge facing any negotiated settlement in Ukraine: the absence of mechanisms to enforce compliance and verify violations. With both sides reporting thousands of breaches within hours, the 32-hour truce highlights how temporary pauses in hostilities can create opportunities for tactical repositioning rather than genuine de-escalation. The reported execution of four disarmed Ukrainian soldiers raises questions about accountability under international humanitarian law and the viability of future trust-building measures. Moscow's insistence on negotiating a comprehensive peace deal before implementing a ceasefire, while Kyiv demands the opposite sequence, reveals a procedural deadlock that prevents even modest confidence-building steps. The prisoner swap of 175 individuals on each side shows that limited cooperation remains possible on humanitarian issues, yet the immediate resumption of attacks underscores that neither side views temporary truces as serving their strategic interests. For Western allies providing military and financial support to Ukraine, the failed ceasefire complicates efforts to demonstrate progress toward a diplomatic resolution.