Ukraine, Russia claim thousands of violations of Putin-imposed holiday ceasefire

Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of hundreds of attacks Sunday, casting uncertainty connected a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire that appeared to beryllium unraveling little than a time aft it began.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a 32-hour ceasefire for the Orthodox Easter holiday, ordering forces to halt warring from Saturday day done the extremity of Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to grant the intermission but warned Kyiv would respond rapidly to immoderate violations.

The vacation ceasefire, however, appeared to beryllium short-lived.

Ukraine’s subject said it had logged 2,299 ceasefire violations by aboriginal Sunday morning, including assaults, shelling and tiny drone activity, though it noted nary usage of long-range drones, missiles oregon guided bombs.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

Russian President Vladimir Putin crosses himself during the Orthodox Easter work astatine the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour successful Moscow connected April 12, 2026. (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

A Ukrainian serviceman told The Associated Press that Russian troops continued attacking positions contempt the declared truce.

Russia’s Defense Ministry fired back, accusing Ukrainian forces of 1,971 violations, including drone strikes successful the borderline regions of Kursk and Belgorod that allegedly injured civilians.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks during a property league successful Bucharest, Romania, connected March 12, 2026. (Octav Ganea/Inquam Photos/Reuters)

The caput of Russia's Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said Sunday that the bodies of 2 civilians person been recovered pursuing an alleged Ukrainian onslaught connected Saturday.

NATO SCRAMBLES JETS AS RUSSIA FIRES NEARLY 400 DRONES TOWARD UKRAINE, SIGNALING NEW SPRING OFFENSIVE

The dueling claims item the heavy mistrust betwixt the 2 sides and underscore the trouble of enforcing adjacent impermanent pauses successful fighting.

Past ceasefire attempts person collapsed quickly, with some nations routinely blaming each other. A akin truce declared by Putin past Easter besides unraveled amid accusations of violations from some sides.

An Easter breadstuff with a candle covered by particulate is seen wrong a damaged flat aft a Russian drone onslaught successful Sumy, Ukraine, connected April 11, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service/AP)

Irena Bulhakova told The Associated Press astatine a vacation gathering extracurricular Kyiv that she had her doubts astir immoderate ceasefires arsenic Russia’s four-year warfare connected Ukraine drags on.

"Every clip a ceasefire is announced for a holiday, the shelling continues regardless," she said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Reflecting connected the meaning of the Orthodox Easter holiday, she added: "Good triumphs implicit darkness, and we anticipation for that precise much."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.