Russian troops form assault unit during Easter "truce," now advancing near Kostiantynivka – expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

“We should look at what’s happening near Toretsk — southwest of Kostiantynivka — in the context of the so-called Easter ‘truce.’ For 30 hours on April 21, we held back from destroying Russian forces in the amount they deserve. As a result, the enemy was able to build up resources in that part of the front, and now we’re facing problems because of it,” Seleznov said.

According to Seleznov, Russia used the Easter "truce" to form a strong assault force, which is now advancing southwest of Kostiantynivka. The shift in battlefield dynamics is because they managed to gather troops and equipment in a place Ukraine didn’t expect.

“As for the situation in the Pokrovsk-Myrnohrad direction, it’s clear the enemy still hopes to encircle both settlements. They haven’t had much success, but the fighting there has been ongoing for almost a year. We need to understand that the intensity in this area is unlikely to decrease anytime soon,” Seleznov added.

• Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said he’s ready to hold direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey next week, but rejected the idea of a 30-day ceasefire.
• In response, U.S. leader Donald Trump said he would continue to work with both sides, and that the coming week would be “great.”
• President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would "personally" wait for Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15.
• Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko believes that Putin will not come to Istanbul, but there are several possible scenarios for the development of events.
• Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of the Occupation, says that there are currently no prerequisites for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.