'We need real peace': Easter truce fails to lift grim mood in war-torn Ukraine

Easter festivities are muted in Kharkiv as Ukrainians expect fighting to flare up again after a weekend truce.

An Orthodox Easter truce agreed by Russia and Ukraine came into force on Saturday afternoon but 38 minutes later air raid sirens were heard in Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine. Despite the truce, officials and military have recorded multiple ceasefire violations along the frontline, although no long-range missile or drone strikes. The pause in fighting is supposed to last until Easter Monday to give people a much-needed rest, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

An Orthodox Easter truce agreed by Russia and Ukraine came into force on Saturday afternoon but 38 minutes later air raid sirens were heard in Kharkiv region, northeastern Ukraine. Despite the truce, officials and military have recorded multiple ceasefire violations along the frontline, although no long-range missile or drone strikes. The pause in fighting is supposed to last until Easter Monday to give people a much-needed rest, more than four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Russia pledged a 32-hour Orthodox Easter ceasefire starting April 11, but Kyiv remains sceptical due to prior broken truces and ongoing attacks. Ukrainians like Mr. Lamakh and Mr. Sova distrust Russia's promises, citing a history of lies and continued drone attacks despite the proposed truce. While Kyiv residents are pessimistic, some Muscovites expressed optimism believing it could lead to broader peace, though past ceasefires failed.

Ukrainians reacted with deep skepticism to Russia’s pledge of an Orthodox Easter ceasefire after deadly overnight attacks, just hours before the truce was due to begin. Ukrainian authorities said Russian drone strikes killed one person and injured at least 15 others ahead of the planned pause. In the central city of Poltava, a drone hit a store and a cafe, killing one civilian and wounding another. In the northeastern Sumy region, attacks on residential areas injured 14 people, including a 14-year-old boy and an 87-year-old woman.

Russia and Ukraine on Saturday accused each other of violating a brief ceasefire in their four-year-old war, hours into the truce put in place to mark Orthodox Easter. Governors of two Russian border regions said Ukrainian drones had attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod regions, injuring five people. The general staff of Ukraine’s military said Russian forces had violated the terms of the 32-hour truce through assault actions, shelling, and drone strikes. Despite tensions over the truce, the warring sides exchanged 175 prisoners of war each on Saturday, according to officials from both sides.