Russia has accused Ukraine of violating a temporary Easter ceasefire more than a thousand times, as tensions remain high despite calls for a humanitarian pause in fighting, The Guardian reported on Sunday.

According to Russian state media outlet Interfax, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed Ukrainian forces fired on Russian positions 444 times and launched over 900 drone attacks during the ceasefire period declared by President Vladimir Putin.

The reported violations come after Putin announced a temporary truce from 6 p.m. Moscow time (4 p.m. BST) on Saturday until midnight on Sunday (10 p.m. BST), saying it was intended “for humanitarian reasons.” Subsequently, Russian troops were ordered to “stop all military activity” along the frontline during this time, he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has strongly criticised Moscow for using the ceasefire as a “political tool”.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy wrote, “Overall, as of Easter morning, we can state that the Russian army is attempting to create the general impression of a ceasefire, while in some areas still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine. Russia must fully comply with the conditions of the ceasefire.”

Zelenskyy also reiterated Ukraine’s proposal to extend the ceasefire for an additional 30 days beyond the original deadline, saying, “Ukraine’s proposal to implement and extend the ceasefire for 30 days after midnight tonight remains on the table. We will act in accordance with the actual situation on the ground.”

Despite the truce, Ukrainian forces reported 59 instances of shelling and five assault attempts by Russian troops early on Sunday, according to The Guardian.

In other developments, both Russia and Ukraine confirmed the return of 246 soldiers each in a prisoner-of-war exchange mediated by the United Arab Emirates, the report said. According to Zelenskyy, the total number of Ukrainian prisoners returned now stands at 4,552. The UAE’s foreign ministry noted that 31 injured Ukrainian soldiers and 15 wounded Russians were among those exchanged.

Separately, Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Putin during a televised meeting that Russian forces had cleared nearly all of the Kursk region of Ukrainian troops. “The bulk of the area where the invasion took place has now been cleared,” Gerasimov reportedly said, adding that 1,260 sq km—approximately 99.5% of the region—had been recaptured.

The state-run RIA news agency also cited the Russian defence ministry as confirming the recapture of the village of Oleshnya in the Kursk region.