Ukraine, Russia Renew Strikes After Easter Truce

Ukraine and Russia resumed their drone strikes on Monday following the collapse of a 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce that ended with mutual accusations of widespread violations.

The Ukrainian air force reported that Russia launched a total of 98 drones during the period, of which 87 were successfully intercepted by Ukraine’s air defence systems.

Ukrainian authorities confirmed that one of the drone strikes hit an infrastructure facility in the central-eastern Dnipropetrovsk region, though details regarding casualties were still being clarified. Despite the strike, the Ukrainian military’s quick response thwarted the majority of the attack.

Local residents carry their baskets loaded with traditional cakes and eggs as they walk past an open-air exhibition of destroyed Russian military equipment during Easter celebrations in Kyiv on April 12, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia accused each other on April 12, 2026, of violating a truce in place for Orthodox Easter thousands of times, as the war dragged on into its fifth year. (Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP)

On the Russian side, Moscow’s defence ministry reported that its forces had intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones on April 13, further intensifying the already volatile situation. Both sides had agreed to the ceasefire earlier in the week, from 4:00 pm on Saturday to the end of Sunday, marking a brief period of relative calm along the 1,200-kilometre front line.

However, like similar ceasefires in the past, violations were rampant. The Ukrainian military recorded over 10,000 violations by Russian forces, mainly consisting of skirmishes along the front line. The Ukrainian army assured that during the ceasefire, no major missile strikes, airstrikes, or drone attacks were carried out.

Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukraine of violating the truce nearly 2,000 times, citing various military actions throughout the ceasefire period.

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Tope Oke

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