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Military operation in Ukraine

Ukraine used US-made HIMARS systems to violate Easter truce — Russian diplomat

According to Maria Zakharova, this was quite expected from the Ukrainian side

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Mikhail Tereshchenko/TASS

MOSCOW, April 20. /TASS/. The Ukrainian side violated the Easter truce using US-made HIMARS MLRS systems to deliver strikes, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, commenting on the US Department of States’ statement where it expressed the hope for the extension of the Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine.

"It (the ceasefire - TASS) was not observed by the Kiev regime during Easter. Notably, the used American weapons, HIMARS systems, to violate it," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

According to Zakharova, this was quite expected from the Ukrainian side. "Thus, during the moratorium on strikes on energy facilities, [Vladimir] Zelensky, who had agreed on it, targeted civilian energy infrastructure," she emphasized.

At a meeting with Valery Gerasimov, the Chief of the General Staff, on April 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced an Easter truce until 12:00 a.m. Moscow time (9:00 p.m. GMT) on April 21. He also urged Kiev to follow suit. Gerasimov issued a corresponding order to Russian troops engaged in the special military operation. The truce came into effect from 6:00 p.m. Moscow time (3:00 p.m. GMT) on April 19.

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Foreign policy Ukraine Maria Zakharova Military operation in Ukraine

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