Russia’s Statement on “Easter Ceasefire”: Russians Strike Ruthlessly in Donetsk Region Again

At a time when Russia officially announced an "Easter ceasefire" and promised to cease hostilities in Ukraine, the realities on the front lines contradict propaganda statements and official words. Even during prolonged 30-hour periods of silence, Russian forces do not stop—they continue to deliberately strike peaceful towns and villages in Donetsk region to break Ukrainian resistance and to sow fear among civilians. This time, the most outrageous incident was an attack involving three FPV drones (from "first-person view" — cameras-equipped drones controlled from a first-person perspective) against volunteer Evgen Tkachov. His story is one of many that illustrates the cynicism with which Russian occupiers violate the "Easter truce" and ignore all humanitarian obligations. According to Tkachov himself, during the "Easter ceasefire," he was engaged in evacuating civilians from the frontline village of Zory — a small settlement south of Kostiantynivka along the Donetsk highway. His mission was to evacuate elderly people and families in extremely dangerous conditions. Throughout this time, he drove a vehicle with white ribbons — a symbol of civilians, trying to demonstrate to the enemy his non-combatant status. However, even in plain sight, while trying to leave the village, his car was hit by three drones. Tkachov reports that when he noticed the first drone, he attempted to attract the enemy’s attention by turning on the hazard lights and stepping out of the car, displaying the white ribbons to identify himself as a civilian. But this did not help — a drone struck less than a few centimeters from his vehicle. His warning gestures did not stop the ruthless attack: the drone literally "fell" on the car, damaging the wheels and provoking panic among the evacuees, who had to hide in the bushes. While saving lives, Tkachov and two evacuees from his vehicle hid in the bushes until a second drone appeared. It circled around several times before launching a "horrific" attack only two meters from the people, with one sustaining shrapnel wounds — a woman flinched as her sides were hit. For the first time during this chaos, Evgen and his companions attempted to call the police and volunteers for help, but all attempts proved futile: no law enforcement or humanitarian services arrived. The third drone ultimately destroyed their vehicle — debris and damage made it uncontrollable. Fortunately, among the evacuees were a man and a woman, both of whom were handed over to medics. But the central role in this story is played by the volunteer — with all his courage and determination, he managed to extract people from the dangerous zone, preserve human dignity, and restore faith in victory. A particularly significant detail in this story is that the vehicle Tkachov was using is the same one he was in when he was captured in 2014 in Sloviansk, and it has now been destroyed again by Russian occupiers. And that’s not all: among the wounded was his wife, who was quickly taken to the hospital by medics. Evgen’s story once again confirms that Russia’s promises of a "ceasefire regime" are just words. Monitoring resources, including the DeepState project, recorded that almost all front lines saw no significant decrease in hostilities during the "Easter truce." The current mode of fire — is just a formalities under which Russians continue striking, destroying civilian infrastructure, and killing peaceful residents. So while Kremlin propagandists talk about "ceasefire" and a "painful humanitarian pause," Ukrainians on the front lines keep fighting, defending their homes and lives. This is a testament to the resilience and steadfastness of our people in the face of systematic terror by Russian occupiers, who cynically ignore any agreements and humanitarian laws.