«Easter — is the day of victory. We know there is a day of victory associated with victory in war, and Easter — is the day of victory associated with victory over the most terrible enemy, over the devil, over the forces of evil that once ruled the world», — said Patriarch Kirill.
Later, he repeated this phrase several times. «The Bright Resurrection of Christ — is truly a day of victory, a day of liberation for people from the power of evil», «I sincerely congratulate you on this great day of victory».
The Patriarch also wished, «that all conflicts, which in the context of modern civilization acquire great danger, would move aside and that nothing would prevent our people, and all the peoples of the Earth, from living peacefully, developing, and, most importantly, combining material development with spiritual».
The Easter service was traditionally attended by Vladimir Putin, accompanied by Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin. Also at the service was the head of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev, who became one of the main negotiators with the USA.
A few hours before the service, Vladimir Putin announced an Easter truce. Later, Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would respond with «silence to silence» and defensive strikes where the truce would not be observed. The President of Ukraine also proposed extending the truce, as suggested by the United States within its plan to end the war.