On Monday morning, reports emerged of Russian attacks in several parts of Ukraine: drones against Kyiv and Dnipro, explosions in Cherson and Mykolajiv, a bombed power plant in Tjerkasy, and artillery fire against frontline Nikopol.
At midnight, the time ran out for a short ceasefire that Russia unilaterally declared before the Easter weekend. The country has done so on several occasions earlier during the war, and now, as then, it does not seem to have made a significant difference in practice.
According to Ukraine's military, Russian forces launched up to a hundred ground attacks on Sunday, primarily at the hotspot Pokrovsk in the east. Up to a thousand attack drones are said to have crashed into the country.
Accusing each other
"Russia's promise of a complete ceasefire did not apply to the Kursk region either", writes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on social media, referring to the Russian border region where Ukraine still occupies a small area.
When the Kremlin declared a 30-hour ceasefire, they added the caveat that Russian forces would, of course, retaliate if attacked. Ukraine, which early on questioned Russia's intentions, said it was ready to strike back. In the attacks, both sides have accused each other of firing first.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin gave no new directives to extend the unilaterally declared ceasefire, announced his spokesperson on Sunday evening.
More proposals on the table
Putin says on Monday that Russia will "analyze" a proposal from Ukraine to pause air strikes against civilian infrastructure. He accuses Ukraine of using civilian buildings for military purposes.
We will analyze everything and make a decision afterwards, says Putin to state-controlled Russian media.
The statement follows Zelenskyj's comment on Sunday that Moscow has not responded to proposals to extend the complete ceasefire for 30 days after Easter or to at least extend the ceasefire regarding air strikes with drones and robots against civilian infrastructure.
Putin's statement about a ceasefire over Easter was made against the backdrop of months of efforts by the US government to get Russia and Ukraine to agree on a ceasefire, which President Donald Trump said he wanted and could achieve in a short time. The USA threatened on Friday to completely withdraw from its new mediating role if no progress is made.
