Illusion of silence: How Russia used Easter ceasefire on border with Ukraine
Photo: Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (mediacenter.org.ua)
During the so-called Easter ceasefire announced by Russia, Russian forces continued shelling Ukraine’s border regions. Attempts by the enemy to carry out assaults were also recorded, stated the spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Colonel Andriy Demchenko.
"This is more like an imitation of Russia wanting some kind of truce. Even though it was supposed to last around 30 hours, the enemy continued hitting Sumy and Kharkiv regions with tube artillery and multiple rocket launchers, and also used drones, both for dropping explosives and FPV drones," Demchenko said.
According to him, the enemy attacked the Chernihiv region less, but if we look at the entire border line with Russia within these three regions, there was no ceasefire regime observed on the part of Russia.
"Along the front line where the units of the State Border Guard Service are stationed, shelling began in the first hours, right when there was supposedly a ceasefire… Maybe the enemy used aviation less for strikes, but we did not observe a full ceasefire," Demchenko noted.
He also said that in certain directions, the enemy attempted to carry out assault operations in areas where border guard units are stationed.
"These were not provocations, but deliberate assault actions that the enemy continued to conduct. Even if it was in specific directions, when we talk about a ceasefire, there were not only shellings recorded but also attacks on the positions of our soldiers," the spokesperson added.
Easter ceasefire
On Saturday, April 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a so-called ceasefire. According to him, it was to last from 6:00 p.m. on April 19 until midnight on April 21. Putin ordered his troops to observe a silence regime, but despite this, the Russian army continued shelling Ukrainian forces on the front lines.
At the same time, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian forces intensified shelling on the morning of April 20. The highest activity was recorded in the Pokrovsk and Siversk directions.
Zelenskyy proposed extending the truce for at least 30 days. The Kremlin did not respond to this proposal.
Moreover, immediately after the end of the so-called Easter truce, Russian forces attacked Ukraine with three missiles, including Oniks, and nearly 100 drones.
For more details on what is known about the Easter ceasefire and how it was perceived in Ukraine and the West, read the material by RBC-Ukraine.
