Under the candlelight of the St Michael’s Golden Domed Monastery, hundreds of Ukrainians prayed for their loved ones and their country.
Not even the mayor of Kyiv’s warning to stay away from the capital due to a rise in Russian attacks could stop people marking the start of Holy Week, which this year begins a week later in the Orthodox calendar than in the West.
Outside the cathedral it was snowing, creating a sense of calm amid the anxiety that had gripped Kyiv over the weekend, as Russia pummelled Ukrainian cities with high precision, long-range missiles.
“God is with Ukraine, so it is clear we will win,” said Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, as he led the Palm Sunday service.
Women attending mass alone asked Epiphanius to pray for husbands and sons who were away, fighting in the war.
At the back of the congregation, dozens of soldiers watched as Epiphanius said that for “decades”, the Church had witnessed Russia’s “evil intentions” and how it has used its “ecclesiastical influence as a tool to spread lies”.
The invasion did not begin with weapons, but “with deception, untruth and lies”, he said.
“It did not start with missiles, but with delusion,” he added.
In an apparent reference to Emmanuel Macron’s rejection of the term “genocide” – after the French president warned the West to be “careful” with such labels – Epiphanius urged his followers to “call evil ‘evil’, not an alternative point of view”.
“Call war a war, not a conflict,” he said.
“Marauders and murderers should be called criminals, and what they do is genocide of the Ukrainian people, for which there should be responsibility without a statute of limitations.
“Knowing Russia’s tricks, we will continue to fight bravely. As Christ overcame his death, so we will be victorious with his help.”
At the same time, in the Vatican, Pope Francis also used his service to call for peace in Ukraine during this “Easter of war”.
The Pope said: “May there be peace for war-torn Ukraine, so sorely tried by the violence and destruction of the cruel and senseless war into which it was dragged.”
“Our eyes, too, are incredulous on this Easter of war.
“May the leaders of nations hear people’s plea for peace.”
The Pontiff called for “an end to the flexing of muscles while people are suffering”, although continued to refrain from naming Russia as the aggressor.
It comes after the Kremlin on Saturday sought revenge for the sinking of the Moskva, its Black Sea flagship, launching strikes against Ukrainian cities where civilians had thought they were now safe from missiles.
It served as a reminder to Ukraine and its allies that the whole country remains under threat, even after Russian forces apparently turned their attention to a new offensive in the east.
A tank repair factory was hit on the outskirts of Kyiv on Saturday night, which left at least one person dead. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that “high-precision, air-launched missiles destroyed a munitions factory near the settlement of Brovary, Kyiv region”.
In addition to Kyiv, there were also attacks on Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, where at least five were killed and 13 injured in a series of strikes.
Russian aircraft taking off from Belarus meanwhile targeted Lviv in the west, near the Polish border.
The nationwide strikes led to Vitali Klitschko, Kyiv’s mayor, warning escapers hoping to return to the capital to stay away from the city.
He said: “I ask you to refrain from this and stay in safer places. Our air defence forces are doing everything they can to protect us, but the enemy is insidious and ruthless.
“Kyiv was and remains a target of the aggressor. We’re not ruling out further strikes on the capital. We can’t prohibit, we can only recommend.
“If you have the opportunity to stay a little bit longer in the cities where it’s safer, do it.”
Many, however, were not deterred by the recent uptick in violence.
Anna Hlukhova, a 24-year-old diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said she would not allow the war to get in the way of Holy Week.
“During war it is good to come to church, because it is easier to accept the challenges with God,” Ms Hlukhova said outside St Michael’s.
“This violence from Russia and everything that is happening in Ukraine is so difficult to accept without the strong belief in our faith.”
Ms Hlukhova, who held a bouquet of daffodils, acknowledged that while people were returning to Kyiv in droves – at the rate of several thousands a day, according to estimates – it was still quieter than usual in many parts of the city.
Throughout the capital, restaurants and shops remain closed and platforms offering views of the central river Dnieper were notably empty on Sunday.
Yet for Ms Hlukhova, while she conceded that the danger of missile strikes was constant, people were desperate to regain a sense of normality.
“It is hard to live away from home,” she said. “That’s why I have friends and relatives who are returning, because at home you have everything you need.”
