Ukraine and Russia again accused each other of violating an Orthodox Easter truce, with both sides alleging thousands of attacks and other violations.

With Russia's all-out war on Ukraine well into its fifth year and the spring fighting season ramping up, Kyiv and Moscow had agreed to a 36-hour cease-fire coinciding with the Orthodox holiday, which began at midnight April 12.

But both Russian and Ukrainian forces reported hundreds of incidents in the hours after the truce was supposed to take effect, on April 11.

As of the morning of April 12, Ukraine's military said it had tallied nearly 2,300 "violations" -- including "enemy assault activity, shelling, attack drone strikes."

Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back Russian advances near Orikhiv and across the nearly 1,100-kilometer front line.

There were no missile strikes, guided aerial bomb strikes, or attacks by kamikaze drones, the military said in a post to Facebook.

Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of nearly 2,000 violations of its own over the previous 16 hours. Including artillery or tank shelling , drone strikes, and "various types of munitions" dropped by drones.

The ministry said several civilians were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the Kursk border region. The report could not be independently verified.

A similar truce announced over Orthodox Easter last year was also marred by thousands of violations.

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Moscow's war on Ukraine hit its fourth anniversary on February 28. Amid multiple rounds of US-backed peace talks, negotiations have ground to a halt, as the US administration focuses on the war with Iran and Russia shows little indication of bending from hard-line positions that Ukraine has called unacceptable.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyycongratulated Ukrainians on the holidayand referred to this past winter, which was unusually cold and brutal, as Russian attacks left millions without power or heat for months.

"For the fifth year in a row, we [celebrate Easter]...despite the pain, all the trials, and the evil that surrounds our land," he said in a statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, attended midnight Mass at a Moscow cathedral and issued holiday well-wishes to Orthodox believers. He praised the Russian Orthodox Church and other religious organizations for "supporting the special military operation and their families,"according to a Kremlin statement.

Special military operation is the euphemism the Kremlin uses to describe the Ukraine war.

Ukraine, Russia Report Thousands Of Easter Truce Violations

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