An Ukrainian serviceman holds his toodler and a basket with traditional Easter cakes and eggs during Easter service outside the Church of Ivan the Theologian, in Kharkiv, on April 20, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Ivan SAMOILOV / AFP)
Kyiv, Ukraine: Many Ukrainians felt let down by a 30-hour Easter truce announced by Russia over the weekend, even if some welcomed a brief lull in fighting after more than three years of war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops Saturday afternoon to "stop all hostilities" for the duration of the religious holiday.
While both sides reported a dip in fighting, they each accused the other of hundreds of violations over the 30-hour period.
Air raid sirens rang out in Kyiv shortly after Putin's announcement -- and again in the early hours of Monday, when Russia resumed its drone strikes.
"I really wanted it to work," said Svitlana, a 65-year-old accountant in the Ukrainian capital.
"In fact, it didn't. But at least it was a little bit quieter, and that's good. At least people could bless Easter cakes and go to church," she added.
Putin announced the truce after weeks of public appeals from Donald Trump to stop the war, and while it fell far short of his call for a fully-fledged ceasefire, Svitlana suspected Putin was trying to placate the US president.
"I think that Putin is flirting with America, like: 'Look, I am such a nice guy'," she told AFP.
"In fact, there was no ceasefire."
'Everyone is tired'
At a makeshift memorial commemorating fallen soldiers on Kyiv's Maidan Square, a few Ukrainians came to lay flowers on Easter Monday.
Standing in front of a sea of blue and yellow flags, combat instructor Viktor Danylchuk came to pay tribute to his friends killed on the front line.
He said the truce was "positive".
"Because people are really exhausted, everyone is tired, everyone wants to go home to pay attention to their families."
"Clearly, we were a little surprised by this situation, given that the Russians always promise one thing and do something completely different," he told AFP.
He said Russia kept up its attacks, regardless of Putin's announcement.
"My comrades at the front noticed that there was less shelling yesterday, but that it continued nonetheless."
Valentyna welcomed the truce but was also sceptical.
"To be honest, my friends and I were happy with the truce, even if we didn't believe in it all the way, because we wanted people to show a little humanity," the 49-year-old said.
Vitaly, a 39-year-old staff sergeant in the Ukrainian army, said he had "no faith" it would lead to anything. "Nothing has changed," he said. "Its just words".
