Ukraine war: Putin accused of breaching Easter truce as UK calls for full ceasefire

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said 67 Ukrainian priests, pastors, and monks “were killed or tortured by Russian occupiers” since the start of the war.

Citing wartime data, he said nearly 650 religious sites have been destroyed in Ukraine, most of them being churches.

“For millions of Ukrainians, Easter is one of the most important holidays. And millions will be going to churches. Unfortunately, many will go to churches that have been damaged,” the Ukrainian president said.

He added that the Russian military poses one of the greatest threats to Christian churches and believers.

“But we will rebuild all of them…Just as we are liberating priests and pastors from Russian captivity,” Zelensky said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin attended Easter service at Moscow’s main church – the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour – hours after declaring a temporary ceasefire, which Kyiv accused Russia of already breaking.

“I order the suspension of all combat operations during this period,” Putin said, calling for a halt to all military action from 6 pm Moscow time on Friday until midnight on Monday.

“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow our example,” he said.

On Sunday, the Russian president was joined by Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, and other worshippers led by the head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, who has been a strong backer of Mr Putin and his war in Ukraine.

The foreign ministers of the UK and Italy have called for Russia to accept a full ceasefire in separate statements on Saturday.

“Ukraine has committed to a full ceasefire. We urge Russia to do the same,” a UK foreign ministry spokesperson said.

“Now is the moment for Putin to show he is serious about peace by ending his horrible invasion,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Italian foreign ministry also urged Russia to accept a longer ceasefire.

“It is not clear how Russia will respect a short truce, while Putin must make up his mind to finally stop this war he started,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.

“He must respond positively to President Trump’s demands and make a real ceasefire possible. Peace must be just and lasting over time,” the foreign minister said.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said fighting continues in Kursk and Belgorod despite his Russian counterpart’s declaration of an Easter ceasefire.

“Kursk and Belgorod regions – Putin’s Easter statements did not spread to this territory,” Mr Zelensky said in a post on X, referring to two Russian border regions where Ukrainian forces have made incursions.

“Fighting continues, Russian strikes continue,” the Ukrainian president said, adding that “there is no trust in words coming from Moscow”.