Putin rejects Easter creation: Kyiv reports new attacks

Putin rejects Easter creation: Kyiv reports new attacks

Donezk, Ukraine - On April 20, 2025, Russia's President Vladimir Putin did not give a command to extend the fire break announced for Easter in Ukraine. This was confirmed by Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow, as the state news agency TASS reports. The existing ceasefire was only announced until midnight (9:00 p.m. CEST) on Easter Sunday, and the Ukrainian side has already signaled that it did not experience any ceasefire.

The Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj expressed that his troops have increasingly exposed to Russian attacks since Sunday morning. Especially in the Donetsk area, near Pokrowsk and Siorsk, there was an increased fire and drone attacks from the Russian side. Selenskyj found that the opponent used heavy weapons while the air alarm failed to materialize in the region. He criticized that Putin either had no control over his troops or was not willing to end the war.

ceasefire negotiations and international commitment

The ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have stalled again and again since their first talks in spring 2022. Despite international diplomatic efforts, including UN resolutions, the posture of Russia remained unchanged. By February 2025 there were no bilateral peace negotiations after earlier agreements such as the Minsk process had only achieved limited successes. In March 2025, the defense of territorial integrity in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany was anchored, which caused the EU to emphasize its role in the negotiations.

Current military activities and allegations

While the political talks stagnate, Russia accuses the Ukrainian armed forces to continue to carry out attacks in Donetsk. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported dozens of drone attacks and hundreds of artillery missions from Ukraine, which the Russian border regions of Brjansk, Kursk and Belgorod had also reached. These attacks led to victims and damage to civilian buildings. However, there was no independent information about the victims.

Selenskyj documented the Russian violations and offered to provide the western partners with this. Between midnight and noon, 26 attacks by the Russian troops had already been registered. As part of his efforts for a diplomatic solution, Selenskyj called for a 30-day ceasefire after Easter, a proposal that Putin had previously welcomed in connection with a US offer in March, but linked conditions.

The conflict that started with the Russian annexation of the Crimea in March 2014 and was overwriting to comprehensive aggression has not yet lost explosiveness. Peace efforts of diverse international actors, including the Holy Chair and China, continue to be undertaken, but progress is difficult to achieve.