Russia's 32-hour Easter ceasefire produced no pause in artillery, FPV drones, or assault operations, Ukraine's General Staff reported on 13 April — tallying 10,721 violations over the truce period. Long-range drone and aircraft strikes were absent for 24 hours, but Shaheds returned by Easter evening.
Russian forces shot four Ukrainian POWs after the ceasefire began
Near Veterynarne, Kharkiv Oblast — less than a kilometer from the Russian border — Russian forces entered Ukrainian positions, captured four soldiers from a separate mechanized brigade, and shot them with automatic weapons, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported. The killings happened after 16:00 on 11 April — after the ceasefire had formally taken effect.
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The Ukrainian Army's 14th Army Corps told Suspilne that Russian intercepts show Moscow is already preparing a disinformation campaign to blame Ukraine for the executions — claiming the video footage is staged. The position the soldiers defended had come under heavy fire in the days before the assault, partially destroying it and degrading its defensive capacity, the corps added.
Russia also killed its own surrendered soldiers
Ukraine's 24th Brigade, named for King Danylo, reported that Russian FPV drones targeted a group of Russian soldiers who had surrendered earlier and were being evacuated from the contact line near Chasiv Yar. All three died. Brigade communications officer Ivan Petrychaк said FPV drones and wing-type strike UAVs worked actively throughout the truce, targeting forward positions and logistics, while artillery reduced activity only slightly and reconnaissance never stopped.
"The front was not silent," he said.
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Russia used the lull to mass infantry
Ukraine's 66th Mechanized Brigade, named for Prince Mstyslav the Bold, reported from the Lyman direction that Russian forces used the relative quiet to push infantry toward the contact line — attempting in 32 hours what weeks of frontal assaults had failed to achieve.
"There is no enemy-declared 'silence' on the Lyman direction!" the brigade posted on 12 April, noting artillery, FPV, and Molniia-type strike drones throughout.
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98 drones overnight, civilians killed across five oblasts
Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia launched 98 long-range strike UAVs overnight on 13 April. Air defense shot down or suppressed 87, nine hit their targets across five oblasts.
- A Russian attack killed a woman in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, destroying a residential house in the city's private sector, Ukraine's Emergency Service reported.
- One person died and three sustained injuries in Velykyi Burluk, Kupiansk district, Kharkiv Oblast, after Russian drones hit four detached houses and three outbuildings, the Emergency Service added.
- Three Shahed UAVs destroyed a residential house in Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv Oblast, the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office reported; a 57-year-old man sought treatment for acute stress reaction.
- Russia also damaged energy infrastructure in Chernihiv Oblast, leaving 12,000 subscribers without power, Chernihivoblenergo reported.
Frontline: 107 engagements, Pokrovsk heaviest
Over the 24 hours ending 08:00 on 13 April, Ukraine's forces recorded 107 combat engagements. Russia reportedly deployed 7,702 kamikaze drones and fired 1,202 strikes on settlements and positions, including 20 from multiple-launch rocket systems. The Pokrovsk direction absorbed the most pressure — 28 assault attempts across Rodynske, Myrnorad, Pokrovsk, and surrounding settlements. Russia lost 960 personnel, two tanks, two armored vehicles, 44 artillery systems, and 1,528 drones on 12 April, the General Staff reported.
