Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating the Orthodox Easter ceasefire, as both sides reported the continuation of hostilities despite a declared 32-hour truce. The Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukrainian forces of violating the ceasefire 1,971 times from 4:00 PM Saturday Moscow time to 8:00 AM Sunday. According to the statement, Ukrainian forces launched three nighttime attacks on Russian troop positions in two settlements in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and added that Russian forces also thwarted four attempts to advance towards their troop positions in the Sumy and Donetsk regions. The ministry stated that Ukrainian attacks also targeted border regions, injuring civilians. Kyiv's Protest On the same day, Ukraine also accused Russia of violating the truce. According to Ukrinform news agency, Russian troop shelling in the border Sumy region caused casualties. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a ceasefire with Ukraine for Orthodox Easter on Thursday, effective from 4:00 PM local time Saturday until the end of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared on Saturday that Kyiv intended to respect the ceasefire and would respond "in kind". He added that Russia had been informed of the possibility of extending the ceasefire beyond Easter. In an interview with state television, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia would continue its special military operation after the ceasefire expires unless Zelensky "gathers the courage" to make peace. Orthodox Easter is one of the most important religious holidays for Eastern Orthodox Christians. A similar truce declared last year also saw both sides accusing each other of violations, and the ceasefire was not extended after it expired. The intensity of shelling and combat operations by Ukrainian forces during the Orthodox Easter ceasefire decreased during the day, Russia's Ministry of Defense reported on Monday, accusing Ukrainian forces of 6,558 truce violations. The ministry indicated that despite the Easter ceasefire announcement, Ukrainian forces continued to launch drone and artillery attacks on Russian positions, as well as on civilian infrastructure in the border areas of Russia's Belgorod and Kursk regions. Despite the truce, the Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out 694 attacks on Russian military positions, and a Ukrainian drone damaged a gas station in the city of Lgov in the Kursk region, the ministry added. After the ceasefire expired, the Russian Armed Forces resumed the special military operation, the Ministry of Defense added. According to extensive reports by Xinhua, citing the Argentine News Agency, both Russia and Ukraine reported the continuation of hostilities despite the ceasefire. IP Other Russian Diplomatic Initiatives In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, about recent events in the Middle East, the Kremlin reported. And his Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, will begin an official visit to China on Tuesday that will extend until Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "By 7:00 AM on April 12, 2,299 ceasefire violations were recorded," Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff reported on Facebook. It added that Russia launched dozens of airstrikes and shelled populated areas, Ukrainian troop positions, and border regions. Lavrov will arrive in Beijing at the invitation of Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. #AgenciaNA
