Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed on Sunday in an Orthodox Easter message that no “wickedness” will destroy the country and prayed that God returns happiness to children and brings solace to grieving mothers. In a video address from one of the country’s best known landmarks, the 1,000-year-old Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukraine will overcome the darkness that Russia’s invasion had brought upon it.

“Today, we still believe in the new victory of Ukraine and we are all convinced that we will not be destroyed by any horde or wickedness,” said Zelensky, wearing his trademark dark khaki outfit. “We are overcoming dark times and on this day I - and most of us - are not in bright clothes, but we are fighting for a luminous idea.” Subdued Easter celebrations took place across the country on Sunday, two months since the beginning of the Russian invasion that Russian President Vladimir Putin has called a “special military operation”.