Dozens of prisoners of war freed as Ukraine marks Orthodox Easter

In his Easter address released on Sunday morning, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the holiday as marking “the victory of good, the victory of truth, the victory of life”.

Orthodox Christian worshippers and their traditional Easter baskets are blessed during Easter Sunday at the Pechersk Lavra monastic complex Kyiv, on Sunday, April 16, 2023 (Bernat Armangue/AP/PA)

More than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been released as part of a major Easter exchange with Russia as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the holiday for a second time since the Russian invasion last February.

While celebrations were subdued due to security risks, with a curfew barring the faithful from customary all-night services, Ukrainian authorities and ordinary people shared messages of hope, linking the story of Jesus’s resurrection to their longing for peace and a Ukrainian victory.