Kiev, 5 May 2024 (dpa/MIA) - President Volodymyr Zelensky offered words of encouragement and unity to Ukrainians as the country marked its third Easter at war on Sunday.

God is on Ukraine's side, Zelensky said, and "with an ally like that, life will definitely triumph over death."

He also called for people to be united in a "common prayer" for the Ukrainian soldiers who will once again have to spend an Easter in the trenches at the war's front line.

In Ukraine, as in Russia, many Orthodox Christians do not celebrate Easter until May 5.

In the course of Russia's invasion, however, Ukraine has adapted other Christian holidays to the calendar of Western churches. Christmas, for example, has now been brought forward from January to December 25.

Photo: EPA