As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia launched a barrage of drones concentrated in Ukraine’s east, wounding more than a dozen people. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia had launched 24 Shahed drones overnight, of which 23 were shot down. Six people, including a child, were wounded in a drone strike in the eastern Kharkiv region, while 14 more were wounded in an airstrike on the Kharkiv regional capital. Fires broke out when debris from the drones fell on buildings in the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, causing no casualties. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its troops had taken control of the village of Ocheretyne in the Donetsk region, which was shown battered by fighting in drone footage obtained by The Associated Press.
Officials in Kyiv urged residents to follow Orthodox Easter services online due to safety concerns. In his Easter address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to be united in prayer. Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of unity in the face of the ongoing conflict, stating that with God as an ally, life will ultimately prevail over death. A majority of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, with many belonging to the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. This church split from the rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was loyal to the patriarch in Moscow until the 2022 invasion, leading to suspicion from many Ukrainians towards the Moscow-affiliated church.
In Moscow, worshippers including President Vladimir Putin attended a nighttime Easter service at Christ the Savior Cathedral led by Patriarch Kirill. Kirill is an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin and head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Despite the ongoing conflict, the Easter celebrations in both Ukraine and Russia reflected the deep religious traditions of the Eastern Orthodox faith. Eastern Orthodox Christians typically celebrate Easter later than Catholic and Protestant churches due to a different method of calculating the date for the holy day commemorating Christ’s resurrection. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the religious significance of Easter have underscored the complex relationship between faith, politics, and war in the region.
As tensions continue to escalate between Russia and Ukraine, the Easter celebrations in both countries served as a reflection of the ongoing conflict. Despite calls for unity and prayers for peace, the violence in eastern Ukraine persisted as Russia launched drone attacks causing casualties and destruction. President Zelenskyy’s message of hope and resilience resonated with many Ukrainians facing the harsh realities of war, while Easter services in Kyiv and Moscow highlighted the deep religious and cultural ties in the region. The Orthodox Easter celebrations during the conflict brought into focus the intertwined nature of faith and politics, as both countries navigate their shared history and diverging paths amid the ongoing war.
