Russia, Ukraine Trade Accusations of Ceasefire Violations

(MENAFN) Competing accusations of ceasefire violations erupted Saturday as both Russia and Ukraine accused each other of breaching a declared Easter truce — casting immediate doubt over the durability of the fragile pause in fighting.

Kursk regional governor Alexander Khinshtein was among the first to level charges, claiming via Telegram that Kyiv had launched a drone strike targeting a gas station in the city of Lgov, wounding three individuals.

"The enemy's sneaky attack occurred after 4 pm during the declared Easter truce," he said.

The accusations did not stop there. In the neighboring Belgorod region, governor Vyacheslav Gladkov similarly alleged that Ukrainian strikes continued to pound the area, leaving two civilians injured.

Kyiv, meanwhile, fired back with its own allegations. Oleksandr Hanzha, governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, stated that Russia unleashed more than 60 combined drone and artillery strikes across two districts within the region during the declared truce period, injuring one person. His statement did not specify the precise timing of the reported attacks.

Independent verification of claims from either side remains largely impossible given the active nature of the conflict.

The truce itself had only just taken effect hours earlier. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed Saturday that a 32-hour ceasefire entered into force at 4 p.m. Moscow time — 1300 GMT. The pause in hostilities had been declared Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who instructed military commanders to begin preparations for its implementation.

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