Zelenskyy says Russia ramps up heavy weaponry use, 46 assaults on frontlines reported
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that despite the Easter ceasefire, Russia is increasing the use of heavy weaponry. Since the beginning of the day, there have been 46 assaults on the frontlines.
"Unfortunately, the trend of increasing the use of heavy weaponry by Russian forces continues. From the beginning of the day until 4:00 PM (Kyiv time -ed.), there have been a total of 46 Russian assaults across various directions and 901 instances of shelling, 448 of which involved heavy weaponry. More than 400 cases of FPV drone use by Russians have already been documented," Zelenskyy wrote.
He clarified that Russia's most intense combat activity was observed in the Pokrovsk direction. Furthermore, Russian President Vladimir Putin's words about a "ceasefire" turned out to be meaningless for the Kursk region, as well as for the Siversk and other directions in the Donetsk region. At the same time, Zelenskyy informed that there have been casualties among Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines.
"In the Toretsk direction, our troops unfortunately fell into a Russian ambush. Some servicemen have been killed. The Russian soldiers responsible for this will be eliminated," the message states.
The President emphasized that the Ukrainian army operates and will continue to operate in a completely mirrored manner. Zelenskyy also added that Russia has yet to respond to the proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. Therefore, pressure on Moscow is needed to achieve silence on the front lines.
"This Easter has clearly demonstrated that the only source of this war, and the reason it drags on, is Russia. We are ready to move toward peace and a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire that could last for at least 30 days – but there has been no response from Russia on that so far. The situation on the frontline shows that pressure on Moscow and real oversight of the actions of the occupying forces are needed for the ceasefire to be established," the President concluded.
Background
Yesterday, Putin announced the Easter ceasefire, which, according to his words, is effective from 6:00 PM (Moscow time) yesterday evening until the end of today. The Kremlin leader also stated that he had ordered the cessation of all military operations.
In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to the ceasefire but warned that any violations by Russia would be met with a mirrored response. The Ukrainian President also repeatedly suggested extending the ceasefire beyond April 20.
As for the actual situation on the frontlines, combat activity continued to be recorded. However, the number of shellings and clashes was indeed lower. Furthermore, the night in Ukraine passed without a single air raid alert in any region.
