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Russian Orthodox Easter attacks kill woman burying her under the rubble and injuring 24 in and around the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, regional officials said. Suspilne public television reported power outages in parts of Kharkiv Oblast and neighboring Sumy Oblast following reports of drone attacks and explosions. This was said by the head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Vadim Filashkin two people were killed in shelling in the city of Pokrovsk and two wounded in Chasov Yar, west of the Russian-held town of Bakhmut.
In his Easter address, Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians to be “united in one common prayer”. Standing in front of Kyiv’s Hagia Sophia Cathedral, Zelensky called on Ukrainians to pray for each other and for the soldiers at the front. “And we believe: God has a chevron with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder,” said the president, wearing a traditional embroidered Ukrainian robe vyshyvanka khaki shirt and pants. “So with such an ally, life will definitely conquer death.” Most Ukrainians identify as Orthodox Christians, although the church is divided. Many of them belong to the Independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The rival Ukrainian Orthodox Church was loyal to the patriarch in Moscow until it split from Russia after the 2022 invasion and is viewed with suspicion by many Ukrainians.
In his Easter message, Vladimir Putin did not specifically mention the war while attending a Moscow Easter service led by the head of the country’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. Instead, he thanked Cyril for “the fruitful cooperation in this difficult period, when it is so important for us to to unite our efforts for sustainable development and strengthening of the fatherland”.
Russian forces took control of destroyed village of Ocheretine in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said. It is located northwest of Avdiivka, which Russia captured in February only after massive losses of personnel and equipment. There was no comment from Ukrainian officials or the military, but unofficial Ukrainian military bloggers indicated that Russia controlled Ocheretyne, Reuters news agency said.
In Sumy, Russian drone attacks have left critical infrastructure, including water supplies and hospitals running on backup powerofficials said.
Authorities in Kyiv have urged residents to follow Orthodox Easter services online due to safety concerns. Sergey Popko, head of the Kyiv city administration, warned that “even on such bright days of celebration we can expect evil deeds from the aggressor“.
Ukrainian Eurovision 2016 winner Jamala said her country I can’t afford to boycott the song contest because it needs an opportunity to remind Europe of the Russian invasion. There have been calls for artists to refuse to perform because of Israel’s involvement as the war in Gaza continues. The first round begins on Tuesday in Malmö, Sweden.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Paris where his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron will be urged Xi to use his influence with Russia regarding the war in Ukraine. Xi did not do much except call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi for the first time shortly after Macron visited Beijing in 2023. “If the Chinese seek to deepen relations with European partners, it is really important that they hear our point of view and start taking it seriously“, said a French diplomatic source. Xi is due to meet Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday.
In an article for Le Figaro, Xi said he wanted to work with the international community to find ways to resolve the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, while asserting that China was “neither a party nor a participant” in the conflict. “We hope that peace and stability will return quickly to Europe and we intend to work with France and the entire international community to find good ways to resolve the crisis.”
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