Russia continued to intensify airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure on Sunday, killing two people and destroying power plants that will take months to recover.

Russian cruise missiles struck the western Ukrainian region of Lviv, killing one man, destroying a building and causing a fire, officials said, while in the Kharkiv region a missile hit a gas station, killing a 19-year-old Teenagers die.

Russia launched 16 missiles and 11 drones into Ukraine in a nighttime air strike, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Sunday morning.

In a statement on Telegram, the Air Force said it had successfully shot down nine drones and nine missiles. It does not define their goals.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Ukraine’s Odessa region were without power after debris from a downed Russian drone caused a fire at an energy facility on Sunday, Ukrainian Governor Ole Kiper said. DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private power operator, said about 170,000 households were without power due to the attack.

DTEK said on Saturday that five of its six power plants had been damaged or destroyed, losing 80% of its generating capacity and that repairs could take up to 18 months.

For more than a week, Russia has been escalating air strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities, causing heavy damage and threatening Ukrainians to experience a repeat of the blackouts they experienced during the first winter of all-out war.

Zelensky – Easter message

Some Christians in Ukraine celebrated Easter on Sunday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky urging the country to persevere in a message.

“Russian terrorists are trying to destroy our lives every day now. Last night we saw Rocket and Shahid again [drones] An attack on our people,” he said.

“We defend ourselves; we persist; our spirit does not give up and knows that death can be avoided. Life can win,” Zelensky said.

Ukrainian Catholics, Protestants and some Greek Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter according to the Gregorian calendar. The majority of Ukraine’s religions are Orthodox and follow the Julian calendar. Easter in 2024 will be on May 5.

In 2023, many Ukrainian Orthodox Christians began celebrating Christmas on December 25 according to the Gregorian calendar, a move taken by some churches in the country to distance themselves from Russia, which follows the Julian calendar and has Christmas celebrated on January 7.

However, the dates of Easter and other religious holidays have so far remained unchanged and are consistent with the Julian calendar observed by most Orthodox Christians around the world.

Pope’s Easter message – “Why is there so much death?”

In his traditional Easter message, Pope Francis called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and Gaza and called not to “succumb to the logic of weapons and rearmament.”

“Peace is never achieved with weapons, but with outstretched hands and open hearts,” the 87-year-old pontiff said as he celebrated Easter Mass in front of thousands at the Vatican, despite his health condition. People worry.

Putin enlisted in the army

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree calling on 150,000 citizens to perform mandatory military service, according to a document posted on the Kremlin website on Sunday.

In July, the Russian lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age for military conscription from 27 to 30. The new legislation comes into effect on January 1, 2024.

Compulsory military service has long been a sensitive issue in Russia, with many men going to great lengths to avoid receiving draft papers during the twice-yearly conscription period.

All men in Russia are required to serve in the military for one year from the age of 18, or to receive equivalent training during higher education.

France-Ukraine Military Aid

France will deliver hundreds of old armored vehicles and new surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine, French Defense Minister Sebastien Le Cornou said in an interview with Le Diem on Sunday.

“The Ukrainian army needs to defend a very long front line, which requires armored vehicles; this is absolutely crucial for troop mobility and is part of Ukraine’s requirements,” Leikornu said.

He said that France is considering providing hundreds of VAB (Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé) front-line personnel carriers in 2024 and early 2025.

The French Army is gradually replacing thousands of VABs that first entered service in the late 1970s with new multi-purpose personnel carriers.

France is also preparing to release a new batch of Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles for use in the SAMP/T system supplied to Kiev.

The Aster 30 can intercept fighter jets, drones and cruise missiles within a range of 120 kilometers (about 74.56 miles).

“Ukraine urgently needs better ground-based air defense… Russia is intensifying its strikes, especially against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” Lecornu said.

France is also accelerating the development of remote-controlled munitions, which could be shipped to Ukraine as early as this summer, Lecornu added.

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the launch of a new Ukrainian aid package after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart, the French Defense Minister said.

Last month, Macron raised the possibility of European countries sending troops to Ukraine but warned that no consensus had been reached as allies agreed to step up efforts to send more ammunition to Kiev.

Information for this report was provided in part by Reuters, The Associated Press and AFP.