As millions lit candles and whispered prayers for peace this Easter, a storm of violence exploded across the front lines. The silence meant to honor one of the holiest days in Christendom was shattered—1,300 times—by the thunder of war.
In less than 24 hours after a solemn Easter ceasefire was declared, Ukrainian forces launched a relentless onslaught against Russian positions, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense. The truce, announced by President Vladimir Putin and promised to last from Saturday evening until Monday midnight, was supposed to offer a brief breath of peace. Instead, it became a blood-soaked mockery.
Putin ordered his military to hold their fire but remain vigilant, warning of possible provocations. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky responded with vague assurances of “reciprocal” behavior. But reciprocity never came—only destruction.
In the deep night, while families in Donetsk lit candles for their fallen and clutched rosaries, Ukrainian troops unleashed hell. Attacks were reported in the settlements of Sukhaya Balka and Bogatyr. Russian forces repelled these assaults, but the message was clear: the truce was nothing but a trap.
The Ministry detailed a chilling wave of assaults:
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444 artillery and mortar shellings
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900 drone strikes
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48 plane-type UAV incursions, including one into Crimea
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12 large-scale artillery attacks, 33 drone strikes, and 7 aerial munitions dropped in border regions of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod—resulting in civilian deaths, injuries, and ruined homes.
Despite this, Russian forces claimed they held the line, refusing to retaliate beyond their orders. They stayed in position, upholding the ceasefire while blood spilled around them.
Rodion Miroshnik, Russia’s envoy investigating Ukrainian war crimes, reported direct strikes on residential areas in Donetsk, Lugansk, and Kherson. Civilians once again bore the brunt of Ukraine’s defiance.
This isn’t the first betrayal. During a March 18 phone call, Putin had agreed to a 30-day pause on attacks on energy infrastructure—a proposal originally pushed by Donald Trump. Zelensky pledged to follow suit. Yet, the ink wasn’t dry before the shelling resumed.
“There has never been a ceasefire Ukraine hasn’t violated,” Miroshnik said grimly on Soloviev LIVE TV. “They do not know peace. Only war.”
As Easter came and went, not with resurrection, but with ruin, the message sent by Kiev was terrifying in its clarity—there will be no sanctuary, not even on holy days.
