Easter, but no change on the frontlines in Ukraine
Thousands of Ukrainians have gathered for Easter Sunday services across the country as claims of a so-called Easter truce have been debated. Their war-time leader President Volodymr Zelenskyy gave his Easter address to the embattled people. UKRAINIAN TRANSLATED INTO ENG: "Today is a truly special day that we always look forward to, celebrated by millions of people: Easter. A day that is a ray of light – particularly radiant and powerful in times when dark clouds seek to cover our skies. A day that gives hope and reminds us all: evil may have its hour, but God will have his day. This is one of the meanings enshrined in the story of Christ. Of his earthly suffering and death – and of his resurrection, and the truth that sooner or later, yet inevitably, evil will retreat, and life will triumph." It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary 30-hour ceasefire from Saturday evening to midnight following Easter Sunday, citing humanitarian reasons. But air raid sirens sounded out across Ukraine's capital Kyiv shortly after the announcement and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims Russia continued hundreds of artillery attacks on Saturday night, with more assaults on the frontlines on Sunday. Serhii, a Ukrainian soldier stationed in the eastern Donetsk region says nothing has changed on the ground. UKRAINIAN TRANSLATED IN ENG: "My opinion did not change regarding the ceasefire: it was announced only to show to the world as if they are making some steps, concessions for us. But in reality, as we can see at the front line, nothing has changed. I think it is a blatant lie as it always was." Russia's Defence Ministry has also claimed Ukraine has broken the ceasefire more than 1,000 times, inflicting damage to infrastructure and causing civilian deaths. Both sets of reports have been unable to be verified. And Ukrainian worshippers gathered outside the ruins of a damaged church in the northern Chernihiv region, which was briefly occupied by Russian forces in 2022. Olha Rudeno, a Chernihiv region resident, says she's not sure a ceasefire with Russia is possible. UKRAINIAN TRANSLATED IN ENG: "No, I don't believe in a ceasefire. Believing in a ceasefire is deceiving yourself. We have already seen that this ceasefire has happened many times and it is simply impossible to trust. I don't know how much time has to pass for me to truly believe one is possible. It seems to me that it will not be a day, not two, not an hour." The Religion on Fire project, which monitors Russian war crimes against religious communities, says since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, about 530 churches across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, and at least 25 clergy members have been killed. And in Russia, Ukraine's prayers for peace were echoed by many worshippers including 71-year-old Tamara who is calling for an end to the war at her Orthodox Easter service near Moscow. "God bless, dear God, stop the war, let the people live in peace. Why are people so... forgive me God. Please stop the war so that people live in peace, all is your will, save and keep us, forgive us sinners and the unworthy." And while the Easter truce may have been a failure, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is calling on Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire deal from the U-S that his country signed onto last month. It comes as U-S President Donald Trump is considering abandoning his efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine unless a deal can be struck soon. The U-S special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News that progress is being made on a ceasefire deal to end fighting. "We're tired of what's happening. We've got too many other issues in the world that the United States must be involved in. And this war is going on way too long. President Trump has done more in 90 days to solve this war, the largest war in Europe since World War Two than they did in the previous 900 plus days. And he's driving this towards solutions. And I think we've got a pretty good solution set. The minerals deal is one of them. Also very comprehensive ceasefire, when I talk about a comprehensive ceasefire it's sea air land industrial as well for a period of at least in 30 days and that it builds to a longer peace deal, you know, a permanent peace deal as well. And I think we're on a good path" He says a U-S delegation will travel to London next week to discuss things in more detail, but says NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table. "We presented what I would call a term sheet. This is what it looks like going forward to the Ukrainians. They went back to Kyiv, they're going to come back next week in London and we're going to say what does this look like? Then we turn to the Russians and say, what is your term sheet look like? Then you put it together. Let me give you one example. The example we've been very clear, NATO's off the table. You're not going to be part of it. That's something that's not new. We've been talking about that since 2008, when Ambassador Burns told Condoleezza Rice this was a bridge too far."
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