Page 42 - Orthodox Easter News Today

Ukrainian families had special reasons to rejoice on Sunday as 130 POWs were released on Orthodox Easter.

Sunday marked the second wartime celebration of Orthodox Easter in Ukraine. Russian forces and the paramilitary Wagner Group freed 130 Ukrainian prisoners of war, while one of Ukraine’s top military commanders marked the holiday by visiting front-line troops. VOA’s Arash Arabasadi has more.

Thousands gathered at Kyiv’s Holy Dormition Cathedral and in the courtyard of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery for Easter services and to have their baskets of food blessed by priests

Despite the gesture, Russian forces attacked Orthodox churches in the south and east of Ukraine, wounding at least two civilians, authorities said.

Cathedral service overseen by clerics independent of Russian-affiliated patriarchate for first time since 17th century

Russia's most powerful mercenary group, Wagner, sent at least 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war back to Ukrainian forces to mark Orthodox Easter, according to a video posted by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Lyudmila Gaidai celebrated Easter last year with her children around her kitchen table, but Russian forces have shelled her town in east Ukraine so heavily, the church closed this year and everyone fled.

7:48 p.mPutin to me: Russian-Chinese military cooperation is good Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu on

The head of Russian mercenary group Wagner has caused a stir with a blog post about a possible end to the war in Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelensky encouraged his compatriots to keep on believing in victory in his Orthodox Easter message.

There was no immediate information on how many Russian prisoners were released.