‘We need real peace’: Easter truce fails to lift grim mood in war-torn Ukraine
We Need Real Peace: Easter Truce Fails to Ease Ukraine’s War Strain
A peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, effective from Saturday afternoon, was swiftly disrupted when air raid alarms blared in the Kharkiv region. Despite the truce’s intended 32-hour pause, frontline incidents continued, with no major missile or drone strikes reported. The respite, meant to last until Easter Monday, offers a fleeting chance for rest after four years of relentless conflict.
In the Church
Families gathered at St John the Theologian Church, carrying baskets of Easter treats like iced cakes and painted eggs, to seek blessings amid the chaos. They formed a line around the building, awaiting the priest’s sprinkling of holy water. Traditionally held just before midnight, the service was shifted to midday this year due to curfew restrictions. “Do you believe them?” Fr Viktor asked, reflecting on the truce’s significance. The church itself, damaged early in the war, still bears boarded-up windows from one side.
“Easter should be a time of safety, a time of peace,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X, vowing that forces would retaliate “strictly in kind” against any Russian aggression.
Parishioner Larisa, standing in the crowd, doubted the truce’s sincerity. “Maybe there will be a pause,” she said, “but then Russia will only launch even more intense attacks. We’ve seen that before.” The community’s optimism wavers as the war continues to shadow their celebrations.
At the Frontlines
Meanwhile, a military unit near the Russian border—part of the Khartia corps—tested new drones at a training site. Commanded by Heorhiy, the team loaded kamikaze devices and practiced precision strikes. He ordered his soldiers to remain alert unless under attack, predicting that Moscow’s promises would soon be broken. “Russia says one thing, then does the other,” he said. “You have to be ready.”
Even as the truce began, the unit sent Easter cakes and wine to comrades at the front via drone. The training village, once occupied by Russian forces in 2022, now lies in ruins. Discussions about reclaiming territories like the Donbas region have grown faint, yet Heorhiy insists Ukraine cannot pause until stronger security guarantees are secured from its allies.
“We need real peace talks,” the commander said, highlighting Ukraine’s reliance on Western support. He noted that the Middle East conflict has boosted demand for Ukrainian drone expertise, but the US-led peace process has stalled, with Trump’s envoys diverted to Iran.
Returning to Kharkiv, the city’s ring road is now draped in netting to intercept Russian drones. Yet this measure offers little against missiles striking residential areas. In one suburb, five-storey flats lie in wreckage, others boarded up and uninhabitable. Last month, an attack killed 11 people, reducing a section of a building to rubble. Amid the ruins, a red rug and photos of the deceased remain as grim reminders.
Olha, a neighbor who survived the blast, described the night of terror. “I sheltered with my elderly mother in a corridor,” she recalled, showing a video of flames consuming the opposite building. “This truce is only 1.5 days,” she added, “but at least we can rest a bit. Here, you expect to die every second.” Her words underscore the desperate hope for peace in a land where war has become the norm.
