KYIV, Ukraine — More than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of warfare have been launched as a part of a significant Easter trade with Russia, a prime official stated Sunday, as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the vacation for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale warfare final February.

While celebrations had been subdued on account of safety dangers, with a curfew barring the trustworthy from customary all-night providers, Ukrainian authorities and atypical individuals shared messages of hope, linking the story of Jesus’ resurrection to their eager for peace and a Ukrainian victory.

Dozens of households had particular causes to rejoice, as presidential adviser Andriy Yermak introduced that 130 troopers, sailors, border guards and others captured by Moscow had been on their approach again house following a “big Easter prisoner exchange.”

Yermak stated in a Telegram put up Sunday that these launched included troops who fought close to Bakhmut, the jap mining metropolis which has for months been the main target of Russia’s grinding offensive.

“The lives of our people are the highest value for us,” Yermak stated, including that Kyiv’s aim was to convey again all remaining POWs.

There was no speedy data on what number of Russian prisoners had been launched, however the press service of the founding father of the Wagner Group, the Kremlin-affiliated paramilitary drive whose fighters are distinguished in jap Ukraine, additionally launched a video Sunday displaying Ukrainian prisoners of warfare being readied for an trade.

The video, revealed on the Telegram messaging service, options Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin instructing a soldier to arrange the Ukrainian captives to go away Russian-controlled territory “by lunchtime” on Sunday. The POWs are then proven boarding vans and strolling alongside a street.

In his Easter handle launched on Sunday morning, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the vacation as marking “the victory of good, the victory of truth, the victory of life,” and he burdened what he stated was Ukrainian unity within the face of Russian aggression.

“Belief in victory unites all of us always, and especially today. At Easter, which from time immemorial has been a family holiday for Ukrainians, a day of warmth, hope and great unity. We are one big family - Ukrainians. We have one big home - Ukraine. We have one big goal - victory for all,” Zelenskyy stated.

Ukraine’s prime soldier, Gen. Valery Zaluzhnyy, likewise drew parallels between the Christian message of resurrection and renewal and Ukraine’s hopes for victory.

“Easter is a holiday of great hope. Hope that will bring us peace. I believe that together, united, we will overcome the enemy,” he wrote in a Facebook put up. He additionally thanked all front-line troopers who he stated will “hold the defense in the trenches, stay in the dugouts, (…) carry out combat duty” as the remainder of the nation celebrates.

In central Kyiv, individuals gathered within the courtyard of the landmark St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery on Sunday morning to have their Easter eggs and baskets of meals blessed by a priest. A curfew had prevented most from attending the standard all-night service there hours earlier, with many tuning right into a reside stream as an alternative.

Ukrainian church buildings are often crowded on Orthodox Easter Sunday. But this yr, the extensive courtyard was barely half full, and the road of individuals ready for the priest to sprinkle holy water on their adorned baskets was transferring briskly.

For a second yr in a row, Moscow’s brutal warfare has interrupted vacation routines. Ukraine’s predominant safety service this week issued an announcement urging residents to not linger in church buildings on Sunday, with a view to keep away from crowding and decrease safety dangers.

Alla Voronina, one of many individuals who got here to St. Michael’s with baskets containing Easter desserts and multi-colored eggs, stated that the restrictions had been “very hard” on residents’ morale.

“You constantly recall how it used to be before the war,” she informed The Associated Press. She stated that she and her household would however observe the safety suggestions and go straight house after receiving the blessing.

Others within the line echoed Zaluzhnyy’s phrases a few wartime Easter being an emblem of hope.

“As never before, Easter at a time of war inspires us with hope and faith in the future, in the victory of Ukraine, in God’s protection of our Motherland,” stated Inna Holivets.

Another worshipper, Tetiana Voloshyna, stated she was praying for Ukrainian troops “who defend us and make it possible for us to have this holiday.” She added she had come to the monastery along with her “personal pain and personal requests to God for victory, peace and life.”

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