Ukrainians voice doubt over Russia’s 30-hour Easter truce in prolonged war

Ukrainians doubt sincerity of Putin’s 30-hour ceasefire, calling it a propaganda move amid relentless conflict.

A camouflaged Leopard battle tank covered with netting is positioned facing Kurakhove, Ukraine, as the Russia-Ukraine war continues on December 19, 2024. Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

As the war in Ukraine stretches into its fourth year, many Ukrainians responded with a mix of cautious hope and deep skepticism to Russia’s recent declaration of a 30-hour Easter truce. Announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday afternoon, the temporary ceasefire was intended to halt hostilities in honor of the religious holiday. However, in cities across Ukraine, from Kyiv to the front lines in the east, the sentiment was clear: the so-called Russia Easter truce did not live up to expectations.

Although the Kremlin's announcement promised a full pause in military action, air raid sirens continued to sound throughout Kyiv just hours after the truce began, followed by fresh Russian drone strikes early Monday morning. While some residents reported a modest decrease in noise and attacks, few believed the truce signaled a genuine shift in Russia's military strategy or intentions.

A ceasefire more symbolic than real

The Russia Easter truce was seen by some as more of a symbolic gesture than a practical one. Svitlana, a 65-year-old accountant from Kyiv, said she had hoped the truce would bring some real quiet to the city, even if she suspected it was politically motivated.

“I really wanted it to work,” she said. “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.”

Svitlana expressed doubts about the motivations behind Putin’s ceasefire order, especially following weeks of public calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for a full-scale cessation of violence. She viewed the move as a performative attempt to curry favor with Washington, rather than a meaningful step toward ending the war.

“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.”

A wearied population clings to moments of calm

On Kyiv’s Maidan Square, beneath a sea of Ukrainian flags commemorating fallen soldiers, a few citizens laid flowers in solemn remembrance on Easter Monday. Among them was Viktor Danylchuk, a combat instructor paying tribute to comrades lost in the conflict. For him, the Russia Easter truce offered a brief respite—but not much more.

“Because people are really exhausted, everyone is tired, everyone wants to go home to pay attention to their families,” he said. “Clearly, we were a little surprised by this situation, given that the Russians always promise one thing and do something completely different.”

According to Danylchuk, shelling on the front lines decreased slightly but never stopped. His comrades reported fewer attacks, though there was no full halt in the fighting.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Valentyna, 49, who admitted to appreciating the truce but remained wary of its sincerity. “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.”

“Just words”—soldiers remain unconvinced

Among those serving on the front lines, the skepticism was even more pronounced. Vitaly, a 39-year-old staff sergeant in the Ukrainian army, dismissed the truce outright.

“Nothing has changed,” he said. “It’s just words.”

For many soldiers and civilians alike, these “words” carried little weight against the backdrop of years of relentless warfare, occupation, and displacement. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, Moscow has come to control roughly 20 percent of Ukrainian territory. Promises of temporary ceasefires or “humanitarian corridors” have frequently been undermined by continued military actions.

Shelling reduced in cities, but front line attacks persist

Reports from the front line indicated that while the intensity of attacks on Ukrainian cities may have temporarily dipped, combat operations in active conflict zones did not cease. According to Dmytro Podobriy, a 32-year-old medic serving in eastern Ukraine, the number of artillery strikes on urban areas appeared to decline, but the front line remained fiercely contested.

“Russia has never kept its demands, its agreements,” Podobriy said. “The volume of attacks on the front line didn’t go down.”

This perception was corroborated by an analysis from the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War, which noted that although fighting may have temporarily lessened in specific regions, the overall pattern of violence resumed shortly after the truce ended.

Analysts view truce as propaganda play

Several Ukrainian military and political analysts expressed their belief that the truce was a calculated propaganda move rather than a genuine effort to de-escalate the conflict. Oleksiy Kopytko, a well-known military commentator, noted that the reduced hostilities were likely designed to reshape public perception rather than change the facts on the ground.

“The front may still be burning, but the public narrative in Russia and abroad will be different,” he wrote on Facebook.

Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko was more direct, calling the truce a “banal propaganda action.” He argued that the primary goal of the Russia Easter truce was to influence international opinion—particularly that of former U.S. President Donald Trump—by portraying Putin as a leader who wants peace, while framing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as obstinate.

“The main goal of this ‘peacekeeping action’ is to set Ukraine up,” Fesenko said. “To show Trump that Putin wants peace and that Zelensky is against it.”

Calls for real peace—not temporary pauses

Among ordinary Ukrainians, the yearning for an end to the war is profound—but not at any cost. At the Maidan Square memorial, Valentyna was asked whether she would accept peace “at any price.” Tears welled in her eyes as she answered.

“In every family, there are people who have died. That’s why peace ‘at any price’ is not appropriate,” she said. “That’s the way it is. This sentence does not reflect my attitude towards war. It’s time to put an end to it.”

For many, the Russia Easter truce offered a fleeting glimpse of what peace might feel like—a momentary quiet in a life otherwise defined by air raid sirens and funerals. But until such gestures are backed by consistent action and good faith, skepticism will remain the prevailing sentiment across Ukraine.

And as Russian drones once again darken the sky over Kyiv, that fleeting quiet has already passed.