'Evil may have its hour, but God will have his day': Zelenskyy's Easter message after accusing Russia of ceasefire violations

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote a message of unity and faith on the occasion of Easter Sunday, as he accused Russian forces of breaching a temporary ceasefire, earlier declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Evil may have its hour, but God will have His day,” Zelenskyy posted on X. In the post, he invoked the suffering and resurrection of Christ to inspire hope for peace and victory. “May evil’s hour end. May the day of life arrive. The day of peace. The day of Ukraine. The day that lasts for centuries,” he wrote.

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.

That is… pic.twitter.com/W4ChVWWFuP

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025

“Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”, he further wrote.

His message came as both sides accused each other of violating the 30-hour ceasefire announced by Moscow from Saturday, 6:00 pm to Sunday midnight. Despite the declaration, Zelenskyy said Russian troops continued shelling and launched assaults along the front.

In a separate post, Zelenskyy wrote that Ukraine recorded at least 387 shelling incidents and 19 assaults from Saturday evening until midnight. On Easter morning, another 59 shelling cases and five Russian assaults were logged across the Donetsk, Starobilsk, and Zaporizhzhia sectors. Dozens of FPV drone strikes were also reported.

A report by Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi on the frontline as of 6:00 a.m.

Across various frontline directions, there have already been 59 cases of Russian shelling and 5 assaults by Russian units. In the sector of the Starobilsk Operational Tactical Group, one combat engagement…

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 20, 2025

“In some areas, Russia is still continuing isolated attempts to advance and inflict losses on Ukraine,” Zelenskyy wrote on Sunday, citing a frontline report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi.

Zelenskyy reiterated that Ukraine had proposed a 30-day ceasefire extension, which “remains on the table.” He stressed that Kyiv would continue to act based on “the actual situation on the ground.” The Ukrainian President also warned against trusting Moscow’s ceasefire promises, noting Russia’s previous rejection of Kyiv’s offer for a full, unconditional truce.

Putin had attended an Easter service in Moscow just hours after announcing the ceasefire. However, there were no details from the Kremlin on how it would be enforced or monitored, and Russian officials in occupied Kherson accused Ukraine of violating the truce.

Soldiers and civilians on both sides remained sceptical. AFP quoted Ukrainian frontline soldiers who doubted the sincerity of Moscow’s truce, while some Russian civilians felt there was no need for restraint.

Despite the clashes, Easter Sunday saw a rare exchange of prisoners of war. As per AFP, 246 soldiers were swapped on each side in a UAE-mediated deal, bringing the total number of returned Ukrainian POWs to 4,552.

In his address, Zelenskyy underlined Ukraine’s ongoing fight for peace and freedom, saying, “We are united in this… We fight for Ukraine together. And we pray for Ukraine together.”