Russia and Ukraine trade blame for violating Orthodox Easter ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin crosses himself during an Orthodox Easter service at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow on Sunday (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of violating a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire that took effect less than 24 hours earlier.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4pm on Saturday until the end of Sunday.