KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – As Ukraine enters its third Easter in the war, Russia has launched a barrage of drone fire in eastern Ukraine, where the situation on the front lines is deteriorating. In his Easter speech, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Ukrainians to unite in prayer and called God an “ally” in the war with Russia.
Ukraine’s air force said on Sunday that Russia launched 24 Shahed drones, 23 of which were shot down by air defenses.
Six people, including a child, were injured in a drone attack in eastern Kharkiv region, regional governor Ole Sinyevov announced.
In the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region, debris from a downed drone fell on a building, causing a fire. No casualties were reported.
Kiev authorities urged residents to follow Orthodox Easter services online due to safety concerns. “Even on such a bright and festive day, we can expect evil deeds by the invaders,” Kyiv City Administrator Serhiy Popko warned.
President Zelensky called on Ukrainians to unite in prayers for each other and the soldiers on the front lines.
Baskets filled with traditional Easter fun for Orthodox Easter outside the Church of the Ascension of the Lord, which was destroyed during the Russian occupation in spring 2022, in Lukasivka village, Chernihiv region, May 5, 2024 Ukrainian priest Serhii speaks to Orthodox believers carrying a During the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP) (Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP, Getty Images)
In a video filmed in front of St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kiev, President Zelensky, wearing a traditional Vyshyvanka embroidered shirt, said that God “holds a chevron with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder.” . With “such allies”, President Zelenskiy said, “life will definitely triumph over death.”
Although the majority of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, the church is divided. Many belong to the independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church remained loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate until splitting from Russia after the 2022 invasion, and is viewed with suspicion by many Ukrainians.
In Moscow, worshipers including President Vladimir Putin left the city’s landmark Cathedral of Christ the Savior late Saturday for an evening Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin. The church was packed.
The Eastern Orthodox Church typically celebrates Easter later than the Catholic and Protestant Churches, due to a different method of calculating the date of the holy day commemorating the Resurrection of Christ.
Photo: Ukrainian village destroyed by advancing Russian troopshttps://t.co/vMEMxnOl55
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