Russia Breaches Ceasefire: Drone Strikes Intensify Tensions in Ukraine

In a stark breach of its own declared truce, Russia launched drone attacks on Ukrainian positions today, undermining the Kremlin’s Easter ceasefire. The temporary halt in hostilities, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin, was intended to span 32 hours over the Orthodox Easter weekend, beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting through Sunday.

Despite this announcement, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer with Ukraine’s 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, revealed that the ceasefire was not being honored by Russian forces. Although artillery fire had momentarily ceased in Kolesnychenko’s operational sector—located at the intersection of the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions—Russian drones continued to target Ukrainian positions.

“The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” Kolesnychenko stated, highlighting the ongoing threat from drone strikes despite the official pause in artillery exchanges. In response to these provocations, Ukrainian forces have adopted a strategy of responding in kind, maintaining “silence to silence and fire to fire,” as Kolesnychenko put it.

This incident underscores the fragile nature of ceasefires in the region, where intentions for peace are often overshadowed by the reality of continued conflict. As both sides navigate these tensions, the hope for a peaceful Easter weekend remains elusive for those on the front lines.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4pm on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to abide by the ceasefire, describing it as an opportunity to build on peace initiatives. But he warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.

It comes as chilling new footage showed a Ukrainian drone brigade killing 8,000 Russian troops in a single month. 

The video shows stricken Russian soldiers desperately trying to fend off approaching drones, throwing sticks and swatting at them in a futile bid to survive.

Russia has violated a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire after it attacked Ukrainian positions with drones today

Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend. Pictured: Members of the Ukrainian diaspora take part in the traditional blessing of food baskets during Easter Holy Saturday celebrations in Krakow, Poland, on April 11, 2026

Hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, Russia launched drone strikes across Ukraine. Pictured: A view of the aftermath following a Russian airstrike using KAB-250 guided bombs in the city centre of Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on April 11, 2026

The grim scenes emerged as both sides began the tense truce today, with Zelensky writing in an X post: ‘Easter should be a time of silence and safety. A ceasefire (at) Easter could also become the beginning of real movement toward peace.’

But he added: ‘We all understand who we are dealing with. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind.’

Ukraine earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.

Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described Putin’s move as a ‘humanitarian’ gesture but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its long-standing demands – a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.

Hours before the ceasefire was due to begin, Russian drone strikes overnight killed at least two people in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, local authorities reported.

A further two people were wounded in the attack on the Black Sea port city, when drones hit a residential area, damaging apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten.

The site of a Russian airstrike in the city of Kramatorsk 

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into force

Chilling footage shows a Ukrainian drone brigade killing 8,000 Russian troops in a single month

The video shows stricken Russian soldiers desperately trying to fend off approaching drones, throwing sticks and swatting at them in a futile bid to survive

The driver of a public trolley bus was killed after the vehicle was struck by a drone in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, less than an hour before the start of the ceasefire, Kherson regional head Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on Telegram.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into force.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.

It added that a prisoner swap on Saturday brought home 175 of its soldiers. 

Zelensky confirmed Saturday’s exchange, saying that 175 service members and seven civilians were returned. 

‘Most had been held in captivity since 2022. And finally, they are home,’ he wrote on X.

Hundreds of relatives, clutching photos of missing soldiers, crowded around ambulances and buses carrying returned prisoners of war in northern Ukraine. 

Many called out names and brigade numbers in hopes of finding loved ones faster.