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As vindictive Russians bomb Kyiv during Holy Week, worshipers believe “God is with Ukraine”

In addition to Kyiv, there were attacks on Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, where at least five were killed and 13 wounded in a series of strikes.

Meanwhile, Russian planes taking off from Belarus were headed west of Lviv, near the Polish border.

National strikes have prompted Kyiv’s Vitali Klitschko to warn refugees fleeing to return to the capital to stay away from the city.

He said: “Please refrain from this and stay in safer places. Our air defense forces are doing everything possible to protect us, but the enemy is insidious and ruthless.

“Kyiv was and remains the target of the aggressor. We do not rule out further strikes against the capital. We cannot forbid, we can only recommend.

“If you have the opportunity to stay a little longer in cities where it’s safer, do it.”

However, many were not deterred by the recent rise in violence.

Anna Hlukhova, a 24-year-old diplomat with the foreign ministry, said she would not allow the war to disrupt Holy Week.

“During the war, it is good to go to church, because it is easier to accept the challenges before God,” Ms. Hlukhova told St. Michael.

“This violence from Russia and everything that is happening in Ukraine is so difficult to accept without a strong faith in our faith.

Ms. Hlukhova, who was holding a bouquet of daffodils, admitted that while people were returning to Kyiv in crowds – an estimated several thousand a day – it was still quieter than usual in many parts of the city.