Easter greeting by the President of Ukraine

“May that day come. May evil’s hour end. May the day of life arrive. The day of peace. The day of Ukraine,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his Easter address to the Ukrainian nation on April 20.

Dear Ukrainians!

Today is a truly special day that we always look forward to, celebrated by millions of people. Easter. A day that is a ray of light – particularly radiant and powerful in times when dark clouds seek to cover our skies. A day that gives hope and reminds us all: Evil may have its hour, but God will have His day. This is one of the meanings enshrined in the story of Christ. Of His earthly suffering and death – and of His resurrection, and the truth that sooner or later, yet inevitably, evil will retreat, and life will triumph.

Today, these words resonate in every Ukrainian heart. And they strengthen our faith, which, in spite of everything, has not faded for 1,152 days of full-scale war.

Each of us has lived through moments like this. When it hurts deeply, when it is unbearably hard, and when you ask: “God, why is this happening to us? The strikes, the explosions, the gunfire – all this evil, all this grief. How can dozens be killed in Sumy on Palm Sunday? Don’t you see this, God? How they struck a children’s playground in Kryvyi Rih. How Kharkiv, Dnipro, our Odesa – dozens of our other cities – burn every day. When will it all end? And our land, our people, our children will hear the silence. How can we not lose faith after everything we are going through?”

And when your mind can’t find answers to these questions, you begin to listen to your heart. And something unseen, yet so strong, inside you, keeps you from giving up. It shows you where to find the light, so you don’t lose your way.

Full text of the address: Office of the President of Ukraine