Ukraine's President Zelensky claimed his troops were responding to artillery and drone attacks on the front lines. Russia accused Ukraine of violating the cease-fire.
A combat position was established in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine on Friday.
Serhiy Hnezdilov spent Saturday night amid a non-existent cease-fire. Fighting for Ukraine in the eastern Donetsk region, he said he could hear explosions all night, despite the Kremlin's promise of an Easter truce.
Mr. Hnezdilov, 24, stated that Ukrainian forces were instructed to report any violations of the cease-fire, which was hastily declared by Russian President Vladimir V. Putin on Saturday afternoon and later reluctantly agreed to by suspicious Ukrainian officials. In addition, Mr. Hnezdilov stated that several planned Ukrainian military activities had been halted.
"I do not even know how to appraise this so-called cease-fire," said Mr. Hnezdilov, commander of the 56th Mariupol Brigade operating near Chasiv Yar. "To me, it was just words from Putin like, 'We will not shoot,' but they are shooting," he said in an interview on Sunday, adding that "every so-called cease-fire with the Russians is promptly violated by the Russians."
Mr. Putin's announcement of a 30-hour pause appeared to be a gamble to demonstrate to the United States that Russia was committed to peace.
On Friday, the Trump administration stated that if it did not make headway toward ending the war, it would withdraw. What this indicated was unknown. Would the US quit spearheading peace talks while continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons and military intelligence? Or will Washington wash its hands of the conflict and desert Ukraine?
Without US assistance, Ukraine's capacity to continue fighting is jeopardized. As the military aid initially authorized by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. slows to a trickle, Ukraine has been able to secure further military assistance from Europe. However, it also relies on the United States for critical military information and targeting data, as well as Patriot missiles for its air defense.
The truce, proclaimed by Mr. Putin less than two hours before it was to begin at 6 p.m. local time Saturday, did result in a quieter night.
However, both Ukraine and Russia claimed on Sunday that attacks had persisted, with the other side blamed for breaking the cease-fire.
Russian troops fired about 2,300 rounds of artillery between 6 p.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's social media posts. He claimed the Russians had launched 115 infantry assaults and employed drones over 1,200 times. Mr. Zelensky further claimed that Russian soldiers ambushed Ukrainian troops in the eastern city of Toretsk, stating, "There are dead."
A Ukrainian military chaplain gives an Easter blessing beside the burnt remains of a church in Kamyanka, a village in the Kharkiv region.
Russia's defense ministry said Sunday that its forces have followed the cease-fire, accused Ukraine of breaking it with drones and nocturnal raids in the Donetsk region. The ministry offered their own numbers: Ukraine fired 444 times with guns and mortars and conducted out 900 drone attacks.
It was unable to independently confirm either side's allegations.
Both Kyiv and Moscow reported that fighting had continued along Ukraine's border with Russia's Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk districts.
Vlad Krupko, 26, a drone unit leader in eastern Ukraine, said the combat during the cease-fire was comparable to what had occurred when Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. The Russians continued to unleash drone and artillery strikes, while his squad flew combat drones. "In actuality, there was no cease-fire at all," he explained.
One of President Trump's foreign policy priorities is to bring the war in Ukraine to an end. However, his administration has primarily mirrored Russian talking lines thus far, claiming that occupied portions of Ukraine should be handed to Russia and that Kyiv should be barred from joining NATO. There is no serious discussion in the White House or Congress about sending additional military aid to Ukraine. Mr. Trump has expressed his scorn for Mr. Zelensky, as well as his admiration for Mr. Putin.
If Ukraine wants to get any additional assistance from the United States, it is largely at the mercy of whatever decision the Trump administration makes. When President Trump temporarily suspended both military intelligence and military aid in March following a public spat with Mr. Zelensky at the White House, the absence of military intelligence was noticed almost immediately on the front lines.
So Mr. Zelensky has agreed repeatedly, attempting to appear reasonable in comparison to Mr. Putin. He agreed to a 30-day temporary cease-fire offered by Donald Trump in March. He agreed to pursue a contentious revenue-sharing minerals agreement, which might be completed this week.
In contrast, Mr. Putin has not agreed to much tangible during preliminary meetings with US officials.
Friday appeared to be a breaking point. US officials made it plain that they were frustrated by Russia's refusal to accept the 30-day cease-fire agreement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the United States could "move on" from attempting to end the war in a matter of days. Mr. Trump stated that "if one of the two parties makes it very difficult," the United States may decide to "take a pass."
Only Vice President JD Vance sounded hopeful, stating that the United States was enthusiastic about ending the war – but could not specify how.
Then, on Saturday afternoon, Mr. Putin directed his soldiers to "halt all military activity" against Ukraine for 30 hours.
Mr. Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials expressed doubts about Mr. Putin's intentions, but finally, most likely cognizant of Mr. Trump's wish for a cease-fire, Mr. Zelensky stated that Ukrainian troops would do whatever Russian forces did. If they remained silent, Ukrainian troops would cease fighting. If Russian forces attacked, the Ukrainians would respond.
"Our forces are responding everywhere, as the enemy deserves," he wrote on social media Sunday morning.
In another apparent indication to Washington, Mr. Zelensky stated numerous times over the weekend that Ukraine would like to extend the Easter truce for another 30 days.
On Sunday, most Ukrainian observers rejected the temporary cease-fire as a public relations exercise. They were far more anxious about what would happen if the United States government withdrew from any involvement in the peace talks.
"This is the fundamental concern for us Ukrainians: What exactly do they mean by being out?" questioned Volodymyr Dubovyk, head of Odesa I.I. Mechnikov National University's Center for International Studies. "Does this indicate that if they go, they will entirely ignore the conflict? Will intelligence sharing continue in Ukraine? Will satellite pictures continue to reach Ukraine?
Analysts believe that if the minerals agreement is done, Ukraine may have some leverage in obtaining more US weaponry or, at the very least, continuing to get US military intelligence.
Easter is one of Ukraine's most important holidays. Ukrainians usually clean their homes on the Thursday before Easter, also known as Clean Thursday. Life comes to a halt on Good Friday. Spare time is spent intricately decorating eggs and creating special Easter pastries.
However, no one in Ukraine appeared to view Mr. Putin's truce offer as a gift. A video shared online on Sunday shows Russian drones attacking an evacuation van near the city of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk, injuring the occupants.
On Sunday morning, locals in Kamyanka, in the eastern Kharkiv region, attended an Easter benediction next to the charred remains of a church that was demolished during Russia's five-month occupation of the village, which murdered approximately 150 civilians and devastated homes, shops, and farms.
Iryna Trotsko, 52, stated in an interview that she will never trust the Russians. "They do not follow their word or any of the promises they make to us," she stated.
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