Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of violating a one-day Easter ceasefire, claiming that Moscow’s forces continued offensive operations despite President Vladimir Putin’s public order to suspend fighting.

In a statement posted to social media, Zelensky said, “As of Easter morning, we can say the Russian army is trying to create the illusion of a ceasefire, but in some areas it continues attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine.”

The temporary truce, announced by Putin late Saturday before attending an Orthodox Easter service, was scheduled to take effect from 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500 GMT) on Saturday and end at midnight on Sunday. Putin had instructed Russian forces to cease all military activity along the front line during this window in the ongoing three-year conflict.

The ceasefire announcement came amid growing pressure from the United States, which warned that it could withdraw from ongoing peace negotiations unless both Russia and Ukraine demonstrated a sincere commitment to dialogue.

Despite the truce, Zelensky reported significant violations. Ukrainian forces recorded hundreds of shelling incidents on Saturday evening, followed by at least 59 more attacks and five ground assaults by Russian troops on Sunday morning.

“Russia must fully comply with the conditions of silence,” Zelensky said, emphasizing that Ukraine had proposed extending the ceasefire for 30 days to foster momentum toward peace.

However, he warned that further Russian aggression would be met with equivalent force. “Ukraine will continue to act in a mirror manner,” he said.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Kremlin had not issued a response to the allegations of continued hostilities.