Russia-Ukraine war rages despite talk of Easter ceasefire

Both Ukraine and Russia said the other country repeatedly violated a ceasefire planned around Easter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia broke the ceasefire 2,935 times with shelling, drone attacks, and frontline assaults. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine violated the ceasefire 4,900 times by continuing artillery fire, drone attacks, and unmanned aerial vehicle strikes.

What was the plan? The Russian Defense Ministry announced the ceasefire on April 19, saying Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered the pause and that it would be observed as long as Ukraine also agreed to stop fighting for a day. Zelenskyy said ahead of the planned ceasefire that Ukraine would mirror Russia’s actions on Easter.

Did either country talk about extending a ceasefire? Zelenskyy repeatedly expressed his desire to extend the ceasefire for 30 days, or at least implement a partial ceasefire on civilian infrastructure. Moscow on Monday morning had not responded publicly to Zelenskyy’s statements.

Did the two countries go forward with a planned prisoner swap over the weekend? Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners on Saturday. Ukraine returned 246 Russian soldiers to their home country, according to the Associated Press. Russia released 277 Ukrainian service members, Zelenskyy said. Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the transfer.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on signs that the United States may stop trying to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia.