But as with a similar agreement last year, only relative calm reigned along the 745-mile front line, according to reports from both sides of the conflict<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Ukrainian military\u2019s general staff wrote in a post on social media: \u201cAs of 7:00 am on 12 April, 2,299 ceasefire violations were recorded. Specifically: 28 enemy assault actions, 479 enemy shellings, 747 strikes by attack drones… and 1,045 strikes by FPV (first-person view) drones.\u201d<\/p>\n One of these drone attacks was against an ambulance in the Sumy region, with three medical workers injured, according to Oleh Hryhorov, the head of the regional military administration.<\/p>\n Mr Hryhorov said: \u201cThe enemy continues to cynically target civilian infrastructure. Be as careful as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n Parishioners attended an Orthodox Easter service at a cathedral amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine – Alexander Ermochenko\/Reuters<\/p>\n An independent Ukrainian monitoring organisation said a rocket struck Tyahynska Hromada in Kherson oblast within half an hour of the ceasefire coming into effect on Saturday.<\/p>\n But in a sign that the truce had some effect, the Ukrainian army said it had recorded no long-range Shahed drone attacks, guided aerial bombings or missile strikes.<\/p>\n On Sunday, Russia<\/a> said it would not extend the truce unless Mr Zelensky accepts its terms.<\/p>\n Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said: \u201cSustainable peace can come when we secure our interests and achieve the goals we set from the very start. This can be done literally today. But Zelensky must accept these well-known solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Russia\u2019s defence ministry accused Kyiv of nearly 2,000 breaches, telling the TASS news agency that \u201ca total of 1,971 ceasefire violations were recorded by units of the Ukrainian armed forces\u201d between 4pm and 8pm local time.<\/p>\n Mr Zelensky had previously stated that the Ukrainian military would \u201cmirror Russian strikes and respond immediately\u201d to any attacks. He said before the ceasefire: \u201cThe absence of any Russian strikes… will mean no response from our side.\u201d<\/p>\n Volodymyr Zelensky had previously said the Ukrainian military would \u2018mirror Russian strikes and respond immediately\u2019 – AFP<\/p>\n Ukraine was also accused of breaking the ceasefire in Russia\u2019s Kursk region by firing a drone at a petrol station in the town of Lgov, injuring three, including a baby.<\/p>\n In his nightly address on Saturday, Mr Zelensky made no mention of the violations and said: \u201cIt would be right for the ceasefire to continue beyond this.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have made this proposal to Russia and if Russia once again chooses war instead of peace, it will show the world, and particularly the United States, who wants what.\u201d<\/p>\n Attempts for a US-brokered peace agreement to the conflict have largely stalled, particularly with Washington\u2019s attention directed to Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vladimir Putin\u2019s war has cost thousands of lives and forced millions to flee their homes – Alexander Zemlianichenko\/Reuters<\/p>\n On Saturday, a glimmer of hope came in the form of a prisoner exchange, where each side handed over 175 servicemen and seven civilians.<\/p>\n Most of the Ukrainian servicemen had reportedly been in captivity since 2022.<\/p>\n Andrii Yusov, the spokesman for Ukraine\u2019s military intelligence, said: \u201cUkraine was working on the return of a significantly larger number of our defenders ahead of Easter. Sadly, the enemy rejected these humanitarian initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n Even before the Iran war, progress towards a peace deal in Ukraine had been slow because of differences over the issue of territory.<\/p>\n Ukraine has proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines, but Russia has rejected this, saying it wanted the whole of the Donetsk region despite it being partly controlled by Ukraine \u2013 a demand Kyiv says is unacceptable.<\/p>\n Mr Peskov said on Sunday that Russian troops still \u200cneeded \u200cto ⁠take control of 17 to 18 per cent ⁠of Ukraine\u2019s disputed Donetsk ​region, state news \u200cagency TASS reported.<\/p>\n![\"Parishioners](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0af1ed63d5ecffd64c1555e84a41b502.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Volodymyr](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f4be68b5aebea963845685576bb4d46a.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Vladimir](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/russia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/9ef5cf4337457a7629bf5774a9293669.jpeg\"\/)
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