President Vladimir Putin’s Easter Message (apparently said with a straight face) In congratulating “all” Orthodox Christians on the Easter celebration Putin said: “The great holiday of Easter gives us love and hope, faith in goodness and justice, and unites us around enduring spiritual and moral ideals. Today, as at all times, the Russian Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations play a major role in strengthening social harmony and mutual understanding between people and strengthening family values.” “And of course, the efforts of religious organizations aimed at supporting the defenders of the Fatherland and their loved ones deserve the most sincere recognition, particularly noteworthy is the creative contribution of Patriarch Kirill in the development of fruitful cooperation between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church, in support of the defenders of the Fatherland.” Leonid Slutsky, head of the Duma Committee on International Affairs Taking Easter as another cue for sycophancy towards Putin Slutsky wrote: “Russian President Vladimir Putin made a strong and beautiful move by declaring an Easter truce and showing who is truly committed to peace, humanism and Christian values.” Before being unable to miss a chance to stick to the Kremlin’s party line that Ukraine, in general, and President Volodymyr Zelensky, in particular, were the root of all evil: “Zelensky promised to ‘act in a mirror’ to our President’s declared truce but is trying to twist the situation – but he is not doing a good job. Let’s see if the Kyiv regime will refrain from provocations this time. This will be indicative for the entire world community.” Adding in the normal Moscow version of events – the mirror image of reality – that “it was the Ukrainian Armed Forces that had repeatedly violated the recent moratorium on strikes on energy facilities, which Russian troops have strictly observed. Russia keeps its word, unlike the Kyiv regime.” Ruhollah Modabber, Iranian political scientist and international relations expert: The wholly (not) independent commentator beloved of TASS and Tehran for his pro-Kremlin stance on everything and anything. He gave his take on Putin’s call for a truce over Easter in an article for the Turkish subsidiary of Russia’s Pravda news agency: “The Easter truce announced by President Putin demonstrates respect for religion and confirms Russia’s desire for peace.” “The Kremlin’s respect for the important religious rituals of this day, which have a special significance for Christianity, shows that the Russian government has always given priority to basic humanitarian principles and special considerations. Russia is the defender of the ideals and values of Christianity.” “Last year, again on the instructions of President Putin, a temporary ceasefire was announced to fulfill the rituals of this important day for Christians. However, the neo-Nazi forces of the Kyiv regime [no bias there then – ed] did not observe this ceasefire, on the contrary, they carried out direct and large-scale attacks, including against churches, during this important period…” Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russia’s Security Council Putin’s attack dog was unusually silent (at the time of press anyway), contenting himself with a single post and the words: “Christ is Risen!” No doubt that state of affairs won’t last long. Alexey Pushkov, Member of Russia’s Federation Council and former head of the Foreign Affairs Committee: Writing on Telegram he said: “No doubt after urgent telephone talks with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer and France’s President Emmanuel Macron [Ukraine’s President Volodymyr] Zelensky was given no choice on this matter and had to shift and move away from the negative reaction to the truce idea. And then Zelensky said that ‘Ukraine will act tit-for-tat.’” He added that if Ukraine had rejected President Putin’s magnanimous offer of the Easter truce it would be a losing position and the global community would respond negatively in such case. “Ukraine was actually compelled by Russia to formally recognize the Easter truce,” Pushkov added. Fox News – Broadcast of Russian Easter Saturday Liturgy In what could easily be termed a “Freudian slip” – an unintentional error regarded as revealing subconscious feelings – the US TV channel showed a live broadcast of the Easter service from the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior attended by Putin and Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The choice of subject for the newscast seemed odd in itself, but in a slip-up that caused unrest among Ukrainian and international media alike was the inclusion of a split screen that included images of the service being celebrated at St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv – the credits of which identified Kyiv as part of Russia. The caption was changed a few minutes later but not before the furor began. Anna Kuznetsova, Vice Speaker of the State Duma and Senator Olga Epifanova: While not directly linked to Easter (although maybe to Christmas or birthday celebrations) the politicians have called for the introduction of a new labelling system for “scary” toys – those that contain scenes of cruelty, could provoke “antisocial behavior,” cause fear and panic among children, etc. A product that violates at least one of these principles will be labeled accordingly, Kuznetsova told Izvestia. Epifanova believes this should be applied to the growing number of “monster toys”and chewing sweets in the shape of body parts or weapons saying: “A toy should be safe not only in terms of the material it is made of, but also in terms of the meanings it carries. No one is surprised by monster toys today. What do these ‘cool’ toys fill our children’s souls with? Nothing good.” At the same time, the State Duma believes that manufacturers of toys of a “patriotic nature” and those that “focus on traditional values” should be exempt. If approved, the system marking will appear on June 1, 2025.