After the ceasefire ended, Russian forces struck a military airfield, ammunition and drone depots belonging to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry said. Both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violations during the truce.
The Easter ceasefire period has ended and combat operations have resumed, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced. The ministry stated that after the ceasefire expired, Russian forces resumed the special military operation.
Russian aviation, drones, missile troops, and artillery launched strikes on a military airfield, ammunition and drone storage facilities, and temporary deployment points of Ukrainian troops in 74 areas, the ministry said. They also claimed Ukrainian losses in various sectors.
The Russian-declared ceasefire lasted from 6:00 p. m. on April 19 to midnight on April 21.
During that time, 4,900 violations were recorded, the ministry said, adding that Russian forces "strictly adhered to the ceasefire regime and remained at their previously occupied positions and lines.” The ministry claimed that Ukraine continued to strike Russian positions and civilian targets in border areas during the truce. However, it noted that Ukrainian forces reduced the intensity of combat operations during daylight hours.
Ukraine also accused Russia of violating the ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would respond symmetrically: silence in response to silence, strikes in defense against strikes. He proposed extending the ceasefire for 30 days if the terms were respected. The US State Department also supported an extension.
On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a 30-day halt on strikes against energy infrastructure during a conversation with US President Donald Trump. The proposal was supported by Zelensky as well. However, both Moscow and Kyiv later accused each other of violations. Ukraine considers March 25 the start of the moratorium, but last week the Kremlin announced its expiration, noting that no new instructions had come from Putin.
Trump stated that he expects a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine to be reached this week, after which both sides "will start doing big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune.”