Monday, April 21

Ukraine has accused Russia of breaking their own truce after Putin spontaneously declared an Easter ceasefire, but Russia has claimed that Ukraine was the first to break the agreement.

Just one day before Easter, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a spur-of-the-moment 30-hour ceasefire in honor of the holiday, with over 60% of both the Ukrainian and Russian population following Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The ceasefire would stop all conflict between the two sides until the end of Easter Sunday.

Towards the end of the ceasefire, Ukraine asked for an extension, as they had been working on negotiating a deal for months. Since the beginning of the war in February 2022, there had not been a single ceasefire until Putin's impromptu announcement, providing Ukraine with zero relief from Russian attacks. A previous ceasefire that was negotiated by the United States would have seen a 30-day ceasefire take place, with the possibility for extensions, but while Ukraine accepted the deal, Russia rejected it.

However, now, Ukraine has now accused Russia of breaking their own ceasefire. Ukrainian forces confirmed that they experienced an increase in attacks during the day, ranging from bombings to drone strikes.

Ukraine suspects that Russia has a motive behind the ceasefire, as Putin has never done something of the sort. Some believe that Putin could have called the peace agreement to allow his troops to resettle and prepare for proper, more organized strikes in some areas, which matches the reports of several Ukrainian troops. Others think that it could just be the fact that Putin's message was too late, and the memo was not delivered to some battalions on the front lines. Another possibility is that Putin simply created a ceasefire to look good in the news, but had no intentions of keeping it at all.

On the other hand, Russia has completely denied the allegations that they attacked Ukraine, claiming that it was a retaliation against Ukraine, who had broken the ceasefire first.

Unfortunately for the people, there does not seem to be a proper ceasefire in sight, and both sides remain in constant battle with no relief.

Upcoming Events:

• World Creativity and Innovation Day (Monday, April 21)

• International Mother Earth Day (Tuesday, April 22)

• World Book and Copyright Day (Wednesday, April 23)

• English Language Day (Wednesday, April 23)

• Spanish Language Day (Wednesday, April 23)

• International Girls in ICT Day (Thursday, April 24)

• International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace (Thursday, April 24)

• World Immunization Week Begins (Thursday, April 24)

• International Delegate’s Day (Friday, April 25)

• World Malaria Day (Friday, April 25)

• International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day (Saturday, April 26)

• World Intellectual Property Day (Saturday, April 26)

Fact of the Day (Today): The brain is responsible for around 20% of the body's total calorie expenditure in a day, burning between 400 and 500 calories per day.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes. (Carl Jung)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Resurrection (noun, rez-uh-REK-shun) - In Christian theology, Resurrection (typically capitalized in this use) refers to the event in which Jesus Christ returned to life after his death. In general contexts, resurrection refers to the act of causing something that had ended or been forgotten or lost to exist again, to be used again, etc.

In a Sentence: Church members look forward to celebrating the Resurrection every Easter.