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Dozens of people plunged into the icy waters of the Dnipro River on Jan. 19 in Kyiv's northern district of Obolon to celebrate Epiphany.
The tradition to bathe in the freezing water of a river or lake comes from a popular belief that on this day, the water brings health or even washes away one's sins.
Lately, the perception of this ritual in Ukraine has been changing. Some point out that the tradition isn't native to Ukraine, and has been adopted from Russia in the 20th Century. In light of Russia's war against Ukraine, which has been ongoing since 2014, the subject becomes sensitive.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been vocal in its objections to the bathing tradition. The church was established in 2019 as an independent Ukrainian church, an alternative to the Moscow Patriarchate-governed church which was previously the largest in Ukraine.
While the Orthodox Church of Ukraine opposes the bathing tradition, the Russia-backed church, which still remains popular in Ukraine, actively encourages it. The celebration in Obolon was organized by one of the local churches from the Russia-backed Orthodox church.
The practice comes with some risk: a 52-year old man was found drowned today after taking an icy dip near the town of Fastiv in Kyiv Oblast, according to a police report.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Armenia of “distorting history” in an attempt to “break off” relations with Moscow, he said in an interview on March 28. Armenia has further sought to distance itself from Russia - repeatedly accusing Moscow of being an unreliable partner.
“After identification, the bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for a dignified burial,” the Coordination Headquarters wrote in a post on Telegram.
Despite wide-reaching import bans and sanctions, the U.S. and its allies have struggled to prevent Western components from ending up in Russian weapons used to attack Ukraine.
Any attempt by the Russian army to take the city of Kharkiv would be “fatal” for Moscow’s forces, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 29.
The number of people who need to be mobilized has been “significantly reduced” from the initially proposed 500,000, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said on March 29.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed Ukraine’s peace plan, saying it is pointless to ask for Moscow to withdraw its troops from areas it currently occupies.
Russia launched another large-scale attack against Ukrainian cities in the early hours of March 29. Russian forces targeted nearly every region of Ukraine, including the far-western Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts.
Since Russia's most recent offensive operation began in October 2023, its forces have captured an area totaling 505 square kilometers, the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in its latest assessment on March 28.
The attacks caused 167 explosions in 24 hours. Over 50 of the explosions occurred in Bilopillia, which was hit with artillery, mortar, and rocket launcher attacks.
Residents reported loud noises in the region at around 3 a.m. local time, and photos and videos circulated on social media showing damaged apartments. Residents said shrapnel had broken the windows in several units.
Polish and other allied aircraft were scrambled on March 29 in response to reports of a massive Russian missile attack against Ukraine, the Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces announced.
Russian occupation authorities targeted members of the LGBTQ+ community during the occupation of Kherson back in 2022, Ukrainian public organization Projektor announced on March 28.
The U.S. and U.K. are investigating several cryptocurrency transactions valued at more than $20 billion that passed through a Russian-based virtual exchange, Bloomberg reported on March 28.
This was the first time since 2022 that Russian troops used a glide air bomb, reportedly a new-type UMPB D-30 munition, to kill residents of Ukraine's second-largest city.
The Basmanny court in Moscow arrested on March 28 Gennadiy Sakharov, Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom's construction project director, due to the accusations of receiving a bribe in "a particularly large amount," Russian media outlet Kommersant reported.
Bilateral trade between Russia and Armenia has flourished since 2022, providing ground for the accusations of alleged sanctions circumvention, media outlet Euroactiv reported on March 28.
The Russian propaganda network recently uncovered by Czech intelligence paid European and Belgian lawmakers to spread pro-Kremlin disinformation, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said in Brussels on March 28.
Polish protesters have temporarily suspended the blockade of the Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv crossing on the Polish-Ukrainian border in both directions, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said on March 28, citing information from the Polish side.
Russian forces attacked Novooleksandrivka in Donetsk Oblast's Pokrovsk district on March 28, injuring a 49-year-old man, Suspilne reported, citing a spokesperson of the regional prosecutor's office.
The British company Evolve Dynamics is focusing on developing drones for the Ukrainian military that are able to withstand electronic warfare, Reuters reported on March 28.