Skip next section Zelenskyy: Russia ‘trying to create impression’ of Easter ceasefire
04/20/2025April 20, 2025
Zelenskyy: Russia ‘trying to create impression’ of Easter ceasefire
Ukrainian President said army tried to advance and inflict losses on forces along the front line overnight despite President declaration of an Easter ceasefire.
“In general, as of Easter morning, we can say that the Russian army is trying to create a general impression of a ceasefire, but in some places, it does not abandon individual attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media.
Citing a report by his commander in chief, Zelenskyy said 59 cases of Russian shelling and five assaults by Russian units had been reported by 6:00 a.m. local time (0300 UTC/GMT) on Sunday.
In the previous six hours, he said there were 387 shelling instances and 119 assaults by Russian forces.
Zelenskyy added that Kyiv’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for a further 30 days ” remains on the table,” but that his forces would “act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4tKGT
Skip next section Putin attends Orthodox Easter service led by one of his strongest supporters
04/20/2025April 20, 2025
Putin attends Orthodox Easter service led by one of his strongest supporters
Russia’s President joined other worshipers for an Easter service in Moscow’s main church hours after declaring a 30-hour ceasefire in Ukraine.
The service was led by the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill.
He is a faithful backer of the Russian leader and a staunch supporter of the war in Ukraine.
Holding a lit thin red candle, Putin crossed himself several times when Kirill announced “Christ is risen.”
At the service, Krill called for “lasting and just peace can be established in the vast expanses of historical Rus,” RIA state news agency reported.
Historical Rus is a reference to a medieval territory that encompassed parts of what is now Ukraine, Belarus and Russia.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tKBd
Skip next section Zelenskyy says Russian strikes continue despite Easter truce
04/20/2025April 20, 2025
Zelenskyy says Russian strikes continue despite Easter truce
Russia is still firing artillery near the front, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
This is despite Russia’s declaration of a ceasefire over Easter.
“Kursk and Belgorod regions – Putin’s Easter statements did not spread to this territory,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post, referring to two Russian border regions where Ukrainian forces have made incursions.
“Hostilities continue, and Russian strikes persist. Russian artillery can still be heard in certain directions of the front, regardless of the Russian leader’s promise of silence. Russian drones are in use.”
“In some areas, the situation has become quieter,” he said.
Zelenskyy did not provide evidence for this.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tK4w
Skip next section Midnight update: Fighting reportedly continues 04/20/2025April 20, 2025
Midnight update: Fighting reportedly continues
Good morning. It is just past midnight in Germany, and we will be taking over from our late team for the next few hours.
Fighting is still being reported along parts of the Ukraine-Russia frontline.
We will keep you updated as the day unfolds.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tK4v
Skip next section Russia, Ukraine carry out fresh prisoner swap
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Russia, Ukraine carry out fresh prisoner swap
and Ukraine took part in a new prisoner swap on Saturday.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that it had received 246 Russian soldiers from Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia stated that it handed over 246 Ukrainian prisoners to Ukraine.
Russia also said it handed over 31 wounded prisoners of war to Ukraine, with Ukraine then handing over 15 wounded Russian prisoners to Russia.
Zelenskyy, for his part, confirmed that 277 Ukrainian “warriors” had returned home after being taken prisoner by Russia.
Ukraine’s defense ministry posted photos on X of the returned prisoners.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJuM
Skip next section Air raid warnings issued for Kyiv, parts of eastern Ukraine
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Air raid warnings issued for Kyiv, parts of eastern Ukraine
The Ukrainian air force put out air raid warnings for parts of eastern Ukraine and the capital, Kyiv.
Air raid maps showed the alerts applied to the , Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropretrovsk regions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “Easter truce” declaration was already supposed to have come into effect at 1800 local time [1500 GMT].
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJw3
Skip next section Zelenskyy: Ukraine willing to go along with ceasefire, but wants it to be longer
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Zelenskyy: Ukraine willing to go along with ceasefire, but wants it to be longer
said Ukrainian forces are willing to “act accordingly” in response to Putin’s “Easter truce.”
“If Russia is now suddenly ready to truly engage in a format of full and unconditional silence, Ukraine will act accordingly — mirroring Russia’s actions,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “Silence in response to silence, defensive strikes in response to attacks. If a complete ceasefire truly takes hold, Ukraine proposes extending it beyond the Easter day of April 20.”
“That is what will reveal Russia’s true intentions — because 30 hours is enough to make headlines, but not for genuine confidence-building measures. Thirty days could give peace a chance,” he added.
Zelenskyy said that as of now Russian “assault operations” are continuing on parts of the frontline.
“Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow. We know all too well how Moscow manipulates, and we are prepared for anything,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukraine’s Defense Forces will act rationally — responding in kind. Every Russian strike will be met with an appropriate response.”
Zelenskyy said he will receive updates on the situation in the coming hours from the military as the “truce” continues.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJuP
Skip next section Top Russian general claims almost all of Kursk retaken by Russia
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Top Russian general claims almost all of Kursk retaken by Russia
Top Russian general Valery Gerasimov said that Russia has retaken 99% of the Kursk region.
Ukraine launched an incursion into the western Russion region of in August. Ukraine has not yet responded to Gerasimov’s claim regarding Kursk, and the claim could not be independently verified.
Ukraine was seeking to hold onto territory in Kursk as a bargaining chip, and would trade parts of Kursk for Ukrainian territory that Russia has taken control of.
DW’s Nick Connolly went to a Kursk town under Ukrainian occupation in August. .
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJsn
Skip next section Zelenskyy: Russian drone attacks reveal Putin’s true attitude towards Easter
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Zelenskyy: Russian drone attacks reveal Putin’s true attitude towards Easter
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also skeptical of Putin’s declaration.
“As for yet another attempt by Putin to play with human lives — at this moment, air raid alerts are spreading across Ukraine,” Zelenskyy posted on X.
“At 17:15, Russian attack drones were detected in our skies. Ukrainian air defense and aviation have already begun working to protect us. Shahed in our skies reveal Putin’s true attitude toward Easter and towards human life,” he added. Russia has frequently used Iranian Shahed drones from the sky.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJqw
Skip next section DW correspondent Nick Connolly reports on mood in Ukraine04/19/2025April 19, 2025
DW correspondent Nick Connolly reports on mood in Ukraine
DW’s Kyiv correspondent Nick Connolly has been hearing from Ukrainians on the ground after Vladimir Putin announced an “Easter truce.” Here’s his analysis of the current situation:
There is huge skepticism here in Ukraine about Putin’s motives in calling this pause in fighting. Most people you talk to — soldiers and civilians alike — are convinced that is merely about Putin wanting to keep Trump onside, rather than ending hostilities.
After weeks in which kept adding new demands before agreeing to any longer ceasefire, this looks a lot like an attempt to win goodwill without giving up on the goal of occupying more Ukrainian land. When Trump’s diplomacy eventually fails, Putin doesn’t want to take all the blame, that’s an opinion you hear a lot in Ukraine right now.
Even if this ceasefire is extended beyond Easter Sunday, monitoring its enforcement effectively along over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) of front-lines without boots on the ground will be near impossible. Many Ukrainians will tell you that they expect Putin to claim Ukraine has broken the truce and restart the fighting whenever it suits him and no one will be able to conclusively verify who opened fire first.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJqD
Skip next section Russian analyst: Putin’s offer is ‘blatant hypocrisy’ 04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Russian analyst: Putin’s offer is ‘blatant hypocrisy’
Russian political analyst in exile Dmitry Oreshkin that Putin’s offer is “blatant hypocrisy.”
Talking to DW’s Riga bureau Oreshkin said that “if this were truly about a genuine desire for peace, the conversation would at least be about a ceasefire for Easter week or even two” and the talks would start far before the holiday.
In Oreshkin’s interpretation, the truce offer could be Putin’s attempt to placate US President Donald Trump.
Russia in February, 2022. is currently seeking an end to the conflict in Ukraine.
According to Oreshkin, “the Kremlin is clearly trying to keep the issue suspended: without outright rejecting anything on Trump’s agenda, but also without making any serious moves toward de-escalation. Which means that while Putin doesn’t dare to openly clash with Trump, he’s hoping to drag out the process — meanwhile nibbling off small pieces of Ukrainian territory and strengthening his bargaining position.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJql
04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Ukraine says watch Russia’s actions, not words after Putin announces ‘Easter truce’
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha responded skeptically to
Putin said Russia would stop fighting in Ukraine at 1800 [1500 GMT] on April 19, with the ceasefire ending on 0000 on April 21. However, Putin said the Russian military was ready to repel possible “provocations by the enemy.”
Ukraine in March had agreed to a US proposal for a full ceasefire in Ukraine for 30 days. Sybiha said Kyiv still stands by that proposal.
“We know [Putin’s] words cannot be trusted and we will look actions, not words,” Sybiha said.
“Russia can agree at agree at any time to the proposal for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which has been on the table since March.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJqq
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage04/19/2025April 19, 2025
Welcome to our coverage
Welcome to DW’s coverage of on April 19, 2025.
This blog will bring you the latest news and analysis related to the war, along with multimedia content and perspectives from DW correspondents on the ground.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tJn7
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