Watch: Putin attends Orthodox Easter service amid ceasefire declaration in Ukraine | World News
Russian President Vladimir Putin was joined Moscow Mayor Sergei Soanin alongside other worshippers for an Easter service on Sunday, which was led Patriarch Kirill, who is the chief of Russia’s Orthodox Church amid Kremlin’s announcement of ‘Easter truce’ in Ukraine.
A video of the Easter service showed Putin and Soanin standing in the Cathedral of Chr the Saviour, which is considered Moscow’s main church and the church’s head Kirill led the procession.
This development comes hours after Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire with Ukraine until Sunday, which Kyiv alleged that they were just words.
Story continues below this ad
Putin was seen holding a thin red candle and wearing a blue suit, with white shirt and red tie, while he crossed himself multiple times after Kirill announced “Chr is risen.” The traditional service started late on Saturday and goes on till the early hours of Sunday.
Russian President Putin joins HUNDREDS in a breathtaking Easter service at Moscow’s Cathedral of Chr the Savior https://t.co/e3G81wwe73 pic.twitter.com/cMxKBqBaZi
— RT (@RT_com) April 19, 2025
For the Orthodox Russians, Easter remains the most important religious holiday and for Putin, Orthodox faith has been the hub of his world view as he attends services during all the major church holidays.
Kirill, head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, called for “lasting and just peace to be established in the vast expanses of horical Rus,” Reuters reported quoting RIA news agency, and Kirill referred to a medieval territory which is now part of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
“How wonderfully it was said, do not do evil to another and do not treat others as you would not want them to treat you. If people adhered to this holiday commandment, then life would be completely different: family and social life and let me say this inter-governmental,” Kirill further added, as reported TASS news agency.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has claimed that Russia didn’t practice the truce it announced as Ukrainian forces reported 59 instances of Russian shelling and five assault attempts along the front line on Easter morning.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Expand
