Dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war freed in Easter exchange with Russia – National | 24CA News
More than 100 Ukrainian prisoners of struggle have been launched as a part of a serious Easter alternate with Russia, a prime official mentioned Sunday, as Orthodox Ukrainians marked the vacation for a second time since Moscow unleashed its brutal full-scale struggle final February.
While celebrations had been subdued as a consequence of safety dangers, with a curfew barring the trustworthy from customary all-night companies, Ukrainian authorities and strange 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 method again dwelling following a “big Easter prisoner exchange.”
Yermak mentioned in a Telegram put up Sunday that these launched included troops who fought close to Bakhmut, the japanese 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 mentioned, including that Kyiv’s aim was to deliver again all remaining POWs.
There was no fast info 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 pressure whose fighters are outstanding in japanese Ukraine, additionally launched a video Sunday exhibiting Ukrainian prisoners of struggle being readied for an alternate.
The video, printed on the Telegram messaging service, options Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin instructing a soldier to organize the Ukrainian captives to depart Russian-controlled territory “by lunchtime” on Sunday. The POWs are then proven boarding vehicles and strolling alongside a highway.
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 mentioned 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 mentioned.
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 mentioned 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 12 months, the huge 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 12 months in a row, Moscow’s brutal struggle has interrupted vacation routines. Ukraine’s essential safety service this week issued an announcement urging residents to not linger in church buildings on Sunday, with the intention 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 muffins and multi-colored eggs, mentioned that the restrictions had been “very hard” on residents’ morale.
“You constantly recall how it used to be before the war,” she advised The Associated Press. She mentioned that she and her household would nonetheless comply with the safety suggestions and go straight dwelling 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,” mentioned Inna Holivets.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
