Russian positions have been attacked numerous times by the Kiev's forces, the Defense Ministry has said

The Russian military has been targeted more than 1,300 times by Ukrainian forces in the less than 24 hours since the declaration of an Easter truce by both sides, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that the pause in hostilities would be in effect from 6:00pm Moscow time on Saturday, and last until midnight on Monday. He instructed the country's military to stay on high alert and be ready "to respond to any violations or provocations." Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky answered a few hours later that Kiev's forces "will act in a reciprocal way."

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that "despite the announcement of the Easter truce," Ukrainian forces attempted to assault the positions of the Russian military in the areas of the settlements of Sukhaya Balka and Bogatyr in Russia's Donetsk People's Republic overnight. The attacks were repelled, it added.

Kiev's troops also used 48 plane-type UAVs against the Russian military, including one in Crimea, the statement read. 

"The Ukrainian units fired 444 times from cannons and mortars at the positions of our troops, [and] carried out 900 strikes with quadcopter drones," the ministry said.

READ MORE: Kiev has violated Easter truce - Moscow

There were 12 artillery attacks, 33 UAV strikes, and seven munition drops in the border areas of Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions in western Russia, which resulted in "civilian casualties and injuries, as well as damage to civilian facilities," according to the statement.

"In accordance with the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces [President Vladimir Putin], all [Russian military] groupings in the area of the special military operation strictly observed the ceasefire regime... and remained at previously occupied lines and positions," the ministry said.