San Francisco Frontiers - Ukrainians voice scepticism on Easter truce

"Of course, it's a good idea, because it will save lives, at least of our servicemen. But our enemy is so сunning that we cannot trust them," Olga Grachova, 38, who works in marketing, said on Easter Sunday, adding she had already heard of frontline violations.

"Terrorists cannot be trusted," agreed Natalia, a 41-year-old medic who did not want to give her surname.

They were speaking outside St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in central Kyiv, where Orthodox believers had come to worship on a bright sunny morning.

"If they held anything sacred, they would not have killed civilians and started this horror (war)," Natalia said.

"I heard about this news, but knowing our enemy, I would not trust these words," said Volodymyr Yaroslavsky, a 39-year-old manager wearing an embroidered shirt for the holiday.

Putin on Saturday announced an Easter truce starting that evening and lasting till 2100 GMT on Sunday, saying it was motivated by "humanitarian considerations".

Easter is the most important religious holiday for Orthodox Christians, the main religion in Ukraine, and in Kyiv on Sunday people were bringing "pasky" Easter cakes to be blessed by priests who sprinkled them with holy water.

Zelensky said that Ukraine would comply -- but would respond in kind to any breaches.

On Sunday, he accused Russia of violating the truce on the front line with shelling and assaults.

Russia also accused Ukraine of drone attacks and shelling and said its troops had retaliated.

AFP journalists heard explosions Sunday just over a dozen kilometres (7 miles) from the front line in east Ukraine.

Zelensky said that if Russia observed the 30-hour truce, Ukraine was ready to extend it to 30 days -- a proposal earlier rejected by Putin.

- 'What our country wants' -

People in Kyiv said they would welcome this but were uncertain it would ever happen.

"Our president has clearly said that if they announce a 30-hour ceasefire, we will announce a 30-day ceasefire. So let them go for it," said Sergiy Klochko, 30 years old, a 30-year-old railway worker:

He described this as "what our country wants... so that this terrible war ends, so that our people, our soldiers, and children stop dying."

But Natalia said she did not expect Russia to agree to a 30-day truce.

"Everything we offer, unfortunately, remains only our offers -- no one responds to them," she said.

"I support the end of the war, and any initiative in this direction. But I don't believe there will be relevant response from the other side."

Yaroslavsky also said that he did not expect a breakthrough.

"The war probably won't stop, some combat actions may stop for a while. But I don't think the war will end so quickly. This is my personal opinion."

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W.Thompson--SFF