In the battered southern city of Kherson, where Russian drone strikes and artillery target civilians daily, residents cling to traditions for both a semblance of normality and as an act of defiance. This year, just like every year before the start of the full-scale war, Kherson locals baked Easter bread,
Russian forces used artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and drones to target Ukrainian positions in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, said Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.
Ukrainian units in the Kharkiv Oblast have maintained a strictly defensive posture, responding only to direct Russian attacks to defend troops and hold the line, according to the Khartiia Brigade.
"We hope that the truce will lead to de-escalation of tensions and will allow moving on to a diplomatic settlement," the Belarusian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given no orders to extend the so-called "Easter truce" beyond midnight on April 21, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Russian state news agency TASS.
"It's like going on a hunger strike between breakfast and lunch and secretly eating candy," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky told CNN Prima News.
The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and was led by Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a staunch supporter of both Putin and the war in Ukraine.
The president said that at least 67 Ukrainian priests, pastors, and monks have been killed or tortured by Russian forces, and that 640 religious sites—most of them Christian—have been destroyed since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"Thirty hours is enough for headlines, but not for real confidence-building measures," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. "Thirty days can give peace a chance."
A senior Ukrainian military officer said his unit and others received orders to cease fire on Russian positions minutes after the truce was set to begin. The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary ceasefire on the Easter weekend, ordering a halt to all military action from 6 p.m. Moscow time on April 19 until midnight on April 21.
The following is the May 7, 2024 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Ukraine’s Central Bank eased some wartime foreign exchange restrictions on businesses in what it said was the
Central to Ukraine's week-long preparations for the holiday is the Easter basket, known as sviachene, meaning “that which is blessed.”
On May 5, Orthodox Easter in Ukraine, security measures will be intensified in Kyiv. Local authorities are urging residents to follow the service online rather than attending church due to security concerns.
President Volodymyr Zelensky wished a happy Easter Sunday to Ukrainians who celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar on March 31.
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