Prior to Putin's major decision, the Russian army played a big move, destroying NATO missile systems and blowing up Ukraine's missile test sites, aiming to dominate the ceasefire in terms of momentum against Ukrainian forces.

On the afternoon of April 19, local time, Russian President Putin announced an important decision after listening to a report from General Staff Chief Gerasimov. Putin announced, for humanitarian reasons, that a ceasefire would be implemented from 18:00 on April 19 to 0:00 on April 21, lasting for 30 hours. Just before Putin made this significant announcement, the Russian army once again made a major move on the battlefield, launching a destructive strike against key Ukrainian targets and NATO targets. It can be said that the Russian military intended to use absolute deterrence to create momentum for the ceasefire.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on April 19 that the Russian Navy and Army simultaneously launched precision-guided weapons and deployed numerous drones to carry out a devastating strike on Ukraine's "Falcon" missile system test site and the NATO air defense missile systems stationed there. According to reports, the Russian military destroyed the Norwegian-made "National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System" (NASAMS). According to information provided by the Russian side, the entire missile system was completely destroyed, even losing any possibility of repair.

Russian precision strike weapons also destroyed Ukraine's most critical "Falcon" missile launch site, causing a fatal blow to the Ukrainian army. The Russian military intended to use such a destructive strike action to intimidate Ukraine, thereby making Zelenskyy accept Russia's ceasefire conditions. Regarding Putin's ceasefire decision, Zelenskyy responded. Zelenskyy felt that the 30-hour ceasefire time proposed by Putin was too short and suggested extending the ceasefire period until after Easter on April 20.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1829880320406601/

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