We need real peace’: Easter truce fails to lift grim mood in war-torn Ukraine

The anticipated Easter truce between Russia and Ukraine began on Saturday, yet just 38 minutes into the agreement, the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine was rocked by air raid sirens. Despite the ceasefire, multiple violations were reported along the frontlines, though no long-range missiles or drones were launched. This pause, lasting until Easter Monday, aims to offer a brief reprieve four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. “Easter should be a time of safety, a time of peace,” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted, emphasizing that his forces would retaliate “strictly in kind” if Moscow breached the truce.

A church service under shadow

As the truce commenced, families in Kharkiv gathered at St John the Theologian Church, carrying baskets of iced Easter cakes, painted eggs, and sausages for blessings. They lined up around the building to receive holy water from the parish priest. Normally, the ceremony takes place just before midnight with a procession, but this year it was held mid-afternoon due to the ongoing curfew. Fr Viktor, the priest, questioned the sincerity of the ceasefire when asked about its significance. “Do you think they’re sincere?” he inquired. “Maybe there will be a pause, but then Russia will only launch even more intense attacks. We’ve seen that before,” added a parishioner named Larisa.

Frontline readiness amid fragile hope

Meanwhile, soldiers at a training site near the Russian border, part of the Khartia corps’ Yasni Ochi strike UAV unit, spent the weekend testing new equipment. They loaded kamikaze drones with explosives and practiced precision strikes on targets. Their commander, Heorhiy, instructed his troops to remain vigilant unless under attack. “Russia says one thing, then does the other. So you have to be ready,” he said. Though the truce is set for 32 hours, Heorhiy remains skeptical. “We need real peace talks,” he stressed, noting that Ukraine’s allies have yet to provide the security guarantees it demands.

Missiles and memories in shattered neighborhoods

Returning to Kharkiv, the city’s ring road was covered in netting to intercept Russian drones, but missiles continue to strike homes in the area. In one suburb, five-storey apartment blocks lay in ruins after a missile attack killed 11 people. Nearby, a red rug still hangs in a living room, alongside photographs of the victims. Olha, a neighbor, recounted how she and her elderly mother took refuge in a corridor that night. “This truce is only 1.5 days. But at least we can rest a bit, because here, you expect to die every second,” she said, showing a video of flames engulfing the building across the street. The destruction serves as a stark reminder of the war’s relentless toll.

“We used to have good civilian life,” Heorhiy reflected. “Now we do what we need to do.” His unit, once DJs in Dnipro’s underground music scene, now focuses on combat readiness. While the Middle East conflict has drawn global interest in Ukraine’s drone technology, the peace process initiated by the US has stalled, with Trump’s envoys diverted to mediate between Iran and Israel.