After new air strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky encouraged his compatriots to continue defending themselves against Russian terror. Easter celebrated by some Ukrainian Christians is a reminder that the power of the spirit can defeat evil, Zelensky said in a message shared on social media on Sunday.
Most Christians in Ukraine do not celebrate Easter until the beginning of May according to Orthodox custom – and not like the Western churches.
“And may true peace come closer for our entire Ukraine and all nations suffering from war,” Zelensky wrote on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram. “Not a night or day goes by now that Russian terror doesn’t try to destroy our lives.”
Drones, rockets and cruise missiles
On Sunday night, Russia again fired missiles and drones at Ukraine, and the country’s energy facilities were once again heavily bombed. Ukrainian air defense reported that 18 of 27 attacks were repelled, including attacks with drones, missiles and cruise missiles. According to authorities, there were still hits.
According to authorities, in the western Ukrainian region of Lviv (formerly Lemberg), an important infrastructure object that had already been shot at several times was hit and one person died. No details were given. In the Odessa region on the Black Sea, tens of thousands of people were temporarily without power. According to the utilities, there were also partial power outages in other regions of the country.
In the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, which has been going on for more than two years, Moscow has repeatedly bombed the energy infrastructure in particular. Targets are other thermal and hydroelectric power plants and other electricity generation facilities. This is also intended to break the Ukrainians’ spirit of resistance.
Faith and hope
“But we defend ourselves, we persevere, our spirit does not give up and knows that it is possible to overcome death,” said Zelensky. “Life can prevail. May all prayers for protection from evil be answered today. May faith unite all good hearts and strengthen those who defend their homes.”
Ukraine is defending itself against the attacks with Western help. President Zelensky recently called for more support in air defense in order to better protect the infrastructure from Russian air strikes.
