More than 100 Ukrainian detainees of war have actually been launched and returned house in a “fantastic Easter exchange”, a senior Ukrainian authorities has actually stated, as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the vacation for a 2nd time considering that Moscow released its ruthless major war last February.
Events on Sunday were controlled due to security threats, with a curfew disallowing the faithful from traditional all-night services. However, Ukrainian authorities and regular individuals shared messages of hope, connecting the story of Jesus’s resurrection to their yearning for peace and a Ukrainian triumph.
Lots of households had unique factors to rejoice, as governmental consultant Andriy Yermak revealed that 130 soldiers, sailors, border guards and others caught by Moscow were on their method back home following a “huge Easter detainee exchange”.
Yermak stated in a Telegram post that those launched consisted of soldiers who battled near Bakhmut, the eastern mining city that has actually for months been the focus of Russia’s grinding offensive.
“The lives of our individuals are the greatest worth for us,” Yermak stated, including that Kyiv’s objective was to restore all staying detainees of war (POWs).
The detainees appear to have actually been held by Russia’s effective Wagner Group of mercenaries.
The group’s creator, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was revealed informing the detainees that they would be passed back to Ukrainian forces to mark Orthodox Easter in a video published on Telegram by his press service.
“I hope you do not fall back into our hands,” an armed Wagner soldier was heard informing the Ukrainian detainees prior to they were bought into a truck, some filling packs of water bottles.
A few of the males were seen being continued stretchers by their pals who strolled in a line down a muddy roadway. A guy standing on a tank was seen holding a white flag.
Ukrainian and Russian forces have actually held routine detainee exchanges because Russia introduced its major intrusion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
It was unclear the number of Russians were returned the other method.
The huge Easter POW swap. It occurred throughout the last days in numerous phases. 130 Ukrainians are returning.
Easter.
Hope is the quintessence of the vacation. This is precisely what the detainees’ loved ones felt having actually awaited so long. pic.twitter.com/YCQwv0lVfe— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) April 16, 2023
The exchange was the 2nd big detainee swap in the previous week. On Monday, Russia and Ukraine stated they performed a significant detainee swap, with 106 Russian detainees of war being released in exchange for 100 Ukrainians.
Ukraine stated on Friday that it had actually likewise obtained the bodies of 82 of its soldiers from Russian-controlled area.
Zelenskyy and Putin make Easter addresses
In an Easter video address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated Russia’s full-blown war “can not eliminate us”.
“Belief in it unifies all of us. Constantly, however particularly today– on Easter, which has actually constantly been a household vacation for Ukrainians, a day of heat, hope and fantastic unity. The war might not remove us, our worths, our customs, our vacations, and the most essential things they symbolise,” Zelenskyy stated.
Both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Kyiv claims has ties with Russia, and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) held Easter services at the historical Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra abbey in the capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Easter by praising the “conditioning” function of the church for society and youth, while the nation’s leading bishop supported the offensive in Ukraine.
“I wish to reveal my extensive appreciation for your determined and generous operate in protecting the withstanding historic, spiritual, ethical and household worths, by informing and informing youth,” stated Putin after participating in the liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
Easter is the most essential event in the Orthodox calendar in both Russia and Ukraine.
In the past, Russia’s leading bishop, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, has actually validated the nation’s offensive in Ukraine by firmly insisting Russians and Ukrainians are siblings who have actually been separated by force, especially by the West.
The Ukrainian federal government has actually countered that view, knocking the dispute led by the Kremlin and likewise pursuing examinations and prosecutions focused on the church and priests considered near to Moscow.
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Al Jazeera and news companies