Russia strikes military airfield, ammo and drone depots in Ukraine as Easter ceasefire ends

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.”

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A ceasefire (also known as a truce), also spelled cease-fire (the antonym of 'open fire'), is a stoppage of a war in which each side agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions often due to mediation by a third party. Ceasefires may be between state actors or involve non-state actors. Ceasefires may be declared as part of a formal treaty but also as part of an informal understanding between opposing forces. They may occur via mediation or otherwise as part of a peace process or be imposed by United Nations Security Council resolutions via Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. A ceasefire can be temporary with an intended end date or may be intended to last indefinitely. A ceasefire is distinct from an armistice in that the armistice is a formal end to a war whereas a ceasefire may be a temporary stoppage.