Russia says repelled Ukrainian attacks amid Easter truce

MOSCOW - The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that it repelled Ukrainian attacks overnight amid a unilateral Easter truce declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Ukraine accused Russia of violating the ceasefire.

The ministry said Russian troops "remained at previously occupied lines and positions" while Ukrainian troops "attempted to attack the positions of Russian troops" in the Donetsk region overnight.

It added that Ukrainian forces had fired at Russian positions 444 times and counted more than 900 Ukrainian drone attacks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that 26 Russian assault actions have taken place from 00:00 (2100 GMT on Saturday) to noon (0900 GMT), accusing Russia of violating its self-declared ceasefire.

Putin said the truce starts from 6 pm local time (1500 GMT) on Saturday and lasts until midnight on Sunday into Monday (2100 GMT on Sunday). Zelensky said on Saturday that Ukraine will respond in kind to the ceasefire.