An Ukrainian serviceman of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, lights candles during a Christian Orthodox Easter religious service, con Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 4, 2024.
Francisco Seco/AP
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Francisco Seco/AP
An Ukrainian serviceman of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, lights candles during a Christian Orthodox Easter religious service, con Donetsk region, Ukraine, Saturday, May 4, 2024.
Francisco Seco/AP
KYIV, Ukraine — As Ukraine marked its third Easter at war, Russia launched a barrage of drones concentrated con Ukraine’s east where the situation acceso the front line is worsening. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians con an Easter address to be united con prayer and called God an “ally” con the war with Russia.
Ukraine’s air force said Sunday that Russia had launched 24 Shahed drones, of which 23 had been shot by air defenses.
Six people, including a child, were wounded con a drone strike con the eastern Kharkiv region, regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said.
Fires broke out when debris from drones that were shot fell acceso buildings con the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region. casualties were reported.
Officials con Kyiv urged residents to follow Orthodox Easter services online to safety concerns. Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, warned that “even acceso such bright days of celebration, we can expect evil deeds from the aggressor.”
Zelenskyy called acceso Ukrainians to unite con prayer for each other and soldiers acceso the front line.
Per mezzo di a filmed con front of Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, wearing a traditional Vyshyvanka embroidered shirt, Zelenskyy said that God “has a chevron with the Ukrainian flag acceso his shoulder.” With “such an ally,” Zelenskyy said, “life will definitely win over death.”
A majority of Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, though the church is divided. Many belong to the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church was loyal to the patriarch con Moscow until splitting from Russia after the 2022 invasion and is viewed with suspicion by many Ukrainians.
Per mezzo di Moscow, worshippers including President Vladimir Putin packed Moscow’s landmark Christ the Savior Cathedral late Saturday for a nighttime Easter service led by Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church and an outspoken supporter of the Kremlin.
Eastern Orthodox Christians usually celebrate Easter later than Catholic and Protestant churches, because they use a different method of calculating the date for the holy day that marks Christ’s resurrection.
