Zelensky denounces Russian attacks on Christian temples and religious in Ukraine

Some 2.4 billion Christians around the world are celebrating Easter today, one of our most important holidays.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted his Easter message to Ukrainian Christians at 8:02 a.m. CET on Sunday via Twitter:

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.

That is what we have wanted for all 1,152 days. We are united in this. Every day – and especially today, when Ukrainians of all Christian denominations celebrate Easter on the same date. Together. We fight for Ukraine together. And we pray for Ukraine together.

May evil’s hour end. May the day of life arrive. The day of peace. The day of Ukraine. The day that lasts for centuries. And we will be able to come together again. At one table. On a peaceful Easter.
May all this come true.
May God help us in this.
May there be peace. May there be Ukraine.
Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Both on Twitter and on his YouTube channel, Zelensky has released this video recorded next to the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in kyiv, a Christian temple of Byzantine origin (it was built in the 11th century), with an Easter message (it is in Ukrainian, you can activate the automatic subtitles in English in the bottom bar of the player):

This Saturday evening, also on the occasion of Easter, the Ukrainian president issued another message stating:

For millions of Ukrainians, Easter is one of the most important holidays. And millions of Ukrainians will go to church. Sadly, many will go to churches that are damaged or destroyed.

The Russian army is one of the biggest threats to Christian churches and believers. Over the years of full-scale war, 67 Ukrainian priests, pastors and monks have been killed or tortured by Russian occupiers. 640 religious sites have been destroyed, most of them Christian. But we will rebuild all of them.

Just like we’re bringing back priests and pastors from Russian captivity, just like we’re doing everything to protect Ukrainian towns and villages and the lives of people there – we are also bringing back the chance to believe, to believe that evil and destruction will not win. Thank you to everyone who helps.

Zelensky has also published this message in a video in English, subtitled in Ukrainian, in which we can see some images of Ukrainian churches and monasteries attacked by the Russians:

For millions of Ukrainians, Easter is one of the most important holidays. And millions of Ukrainians will go to church. Sadly, many will go to churches that are damaged or destroyed.

The Russian army is one of the biggest threats to Christian churches and believers. Over the… pic.twitter.com/gIn8Appkeo

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 19, 2025

Personally, as a Christian, I cannot help but express my astonishment at the silence of some who claim to defend Christians and denounce persecution against them, especially when it is Russia that is persecuting them, murdering their pastors and damaging and destroying their churches, in an unprovoked invasion in which the invaders are committing countless atrocities against the civilian population and prisoners of war. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is purely anti-Christian and diabolical, and despite this, there are still cynical propagandists trying to convince us that Moscow is the Third Rome and that Putin is a great defender of Christians...

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Main photo: Religion on Fire. The Assumption Monastery of St. Nicholas Vasyliv, in Mykilske, Donetsk, an Orthodox building destroyed by Russian invaders in March 2022.