Russia and Ukraine are pointing fingers over alleged violations of Easter cease-fire

• Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an Easter cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian shelling had increased Sunday morning.
• Moscow said its forces had observed the terms of the truce and accused Ukraine of violating it.

Russia and Ukraine are pointing fingers over alleged breaches of an Easter weekend cease-fire announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday.

In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early Sunday that Russian forces were "continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine" and that the Russian army was "attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire."

In a later update, he added that Russian shelling had increased and that Putin's forces had carried out 26 assaults between midnight and noon.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said in a post on Telegram Sunday that all of its forces deployed to the "special military operation zone" had been "strictly observing the state of ceasefire."

The ministry also accused Ukrainian forces of attempting to launch attacks against Russian positions near Sukha Balka and Bahatyr in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine overnight.

The ministry said Ukraine had also carried out hundreds of drone strikes and "dropped ammunition" on the Russian regions of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod.

Putin on Saturday had called for his forces to cease all military operations from 6 p.m. Moscow time Saturday to midnight Monday, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"Guided by humanitarian motives, the Russian side announces an Easter cease-fire," the statement read. "I hereby order all military operations ceased for this period."

It added that Moscow expected Ukraine to follow its example but that Russian forces should be "prepared to repel possible cease-fire violations and provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive acts on their part."

In a series of social media updates overnight, Zelenskyy said Russian attacks had not subsided and cast doubt on Moscow's motives for announcing the cease-fire.

"According to the Commander-in-Chief reports, Russian assault operations continue on several frontline sectors, and Russian artillery fire has not subsided. Therefore, there is no trust in words coming from Moscow," he wrote on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Zelenskyy also reiterated his call for the so-called Easter truce to be extended to 30 days, saying the offer "remains on the table" and that Ukraine would "act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground."

It comes after President Donald Trump said Friday that he would "take a pass" on attempting to broker a peace deal between the two sides if "one of the two parties makes it very difficult."