Easter under fire: thousands of ceasefire violations and prisoner exchanges
This is discussed in a BBC column.
Mutual accusations and shelling statistics
As of Sunday morning, the Ukrainian military leadership had recorded 2,299 violations by the occupying forces. In particular, reports indicate:
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28 Russian attacks;
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almost 2,000 drone strikes;
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no use of missiles or aerial bombs.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has released its own figures — 1,971 violations by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Moscow claims there were three attempts at Ukrainian counter-attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region (the Pokrovsk and Vidradne districts), and also reports ‘foiled attempts to advance’ in the Donetsk and Sumy regions.
Wounded medics and prisoner exchange
In the Sumy region, a targeted strike by a Russian UAV on an ambulance was recorded. According to local authorities, three medical workers were injured as a result of the night-time attack.
Despite the fighting, the parties managed to carry out an exchange on Saturday. A total of 175 prisoners of war from each side returned home, including seven civilians.
Diplomatic deadlock
Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasised that Ukraine is responding to the shelling ‘symmetrically’ and expressed hope for the continuation of the ceasefire to allow for the resumption of peace talks. However, Russia has officially rejected this possibility, announcing the full resumption of offensive operations on Monday.
At present, the key differences between the sides remain unchanged:
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Kyiv insists on a comprehensive ceasefire as the first step towards peace;
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Moscow demands that a peace agreement be signed first on its own terms.
It should be noted that Vladimir Putin announced this year’s ceasefire only after a series of rejections of Ukraine’s previous requests. In early 2026, the Russian dictator also agreed to a US request to halt strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure during the cold spell.
