Putin's Easter charade can't redeem Russia's original sin

Kyiv and Moscow have accused one another of violating the latest ceasefire’ but that misses the point, writes Sam Kiley

- Sam Kiley

Vladimir Putin’s “unilateral” ceasefire declaration this weekend – a bid to use Easter as a propaganda tool – is a deliberate waste of time intended to shift attention away from the Russian president’s original sin. That sin – better understood as an international crime that led to more crimes against humanity was the 2014 invasion of Ukraine, and the 2022 attempt at a full-scale Anschluss, along with the mass murder and deliberate targeting of civilians that followed.

Of course, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has been quick to point out that Putin immediately ignored his own declaration.

“Between 6 pm yesterday and midnight today, there were 387 instances of shelling and 19 assaults by Russian forces. Drones were used by Russians 290 times,” Zelensky said. Meanwhile, Russia claims that there have been 444 “shooting” attacks by Ukraine since Kyiv said it would also observe the “ceasefire”.