Shadow Hangs Over Orthodox Easter In Ukraine And Russia

Orthodox Easter services in Ukraine and Russia took on a political tone yesterday, as Volodymyr Zelenskiy asserted that God had a "Ukrainian flag on his shoulder" and Vladimir Putin attended a church service led by a supporter of Moscow's invasion.

- Ashifa Kassam

Noting that Ukraine had now been fighting Russia for 802 days, Zelenskiy called on Ukrainians to pray for each other and the soldiers on the frontline. "And we believe: God has a chevron with the Ukrainian flag on his shoulder," said the president, dressed in a traditional Ukrainian vyshyvanka shirt and khaki trousers. "So with such an ally, life will definitely win over death."

Orthodox Christians celebrated Easter this weekend, while most western churches observed the holiday on 31 March.

In Moscow, Putin attended an Easter service led by the head of the country's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, a supporter of the president.

Video of the service showed Putin, dressed in a dark suit and joined by Moscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, crossing himself several times during the service in Moscow's gold-domed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.