Russian Defence Ministry alleges Kiev of launching UAVs during Easter ceasefire night

Moscow [Russia], April 20 (ANI): Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) shared on Sunday a statement by their Ministry of Defence (MoD) alleging Kiev of launching 48 UAVs.

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As per the statement shared on X, Russia's MFA, citing their MoD alleged Ukrainian troops of hitting Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times.

It further noted that 900 quadcopter-type drone strikes were also carried out.

The MFA wrote on X, "Russia's MoD: During the night of the #EasterCeasefire, the kiev regime launched 48 fixed-wing UAVs, including one over Crimea. Ukrainian troops hit Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times, carried out 900 quadcopter-type drone strikes".

⚡️ Russia's MoD:

During the night of the #EasterCeasefire, the kiev regime launched 48 fixed-wing UAVs, including one over Crimea. Ukrainian troops hit Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times, carried out 900 quadcopter-type drone strikeshttps://t.co/iz02zCdDnG pic.twitter.com/vw6pW1ifcv

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) April 20, 2025

In a statement attached along the post which referred to a statement by the MoD, it was noted, "In accordance with the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, all the Groups of Forces deployed in the special military operation zone have been strictly observing the state of ceasefire since 18:00 of 19 April remaining in previously taken positions".

The statement by the Ministry of Defence said, "At night, despite the announcement of the Easter ceasefire, formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to launch attacks against positions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation near Sukhaya Balka and Bogatyr (Donetsk People's Republic). The attacks were repelled."

It further observed, "What is more, during the night, the enemy launched 48 fixed-wing UAVs, including one over Crimea. Ukrainian troops hit Russian positions with guns and mortars 444 times, carried out 900 quadcopter-type drone strikes, and dropped ammunition on border areas of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions (12 fire attacks, 33 UAV strikes, and seven ammunition drops). As a result, enemy attacks caused deaths and injuries among the civilian population. The AFU damaged civilian facilities."

This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said that Russian forces have intensified their attacks on Easter Day, despite President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a 30-hour ceasefire in observance of Easter.

Sharing the post on X on Sunday, Zelenskyy stated that Russian shelling and the use of kamikaze drones have increased; the most active Russian operations have been observed in the Pokrovsk and Siversk directions, and they have carried out 26 assaults between midnight and noon on Easter Day.

This is the second ceasefire to be announced since the conflict began in 2022. A previous attempt at a ceasefire during Orthodox Christmas in January 2023 failed after both sides were unable to agree on a proposal. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)