BUTSJA, UKRAINE (Dagbladet): – The war took away the celebration, says Grygorij (58).
Dagbladet meets him outside St. Andreas and all the saints’ church in Butsja. There he marked the Orthodox Easter on Sunday.
He is dressed everyday, in line with the tradition of dressing humbly on Easter Sunday.
– What was your prayer today?
“About peace, but also about the Virgin Mary saving the lives of our warriors, and for those who are close to the front line and are now in danger,” says Grygorij.
BUTSJA: Easter celebration in Butsja. Grygorij lights candles in the church. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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Can only hope
It has been less than a month since Russian forces left Butsja, following an unsuccessful attempt to capture the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Instead, the Russians are launching an offensive to take the Donbas region to the far east of the country.
The inhabitants of the counties of Luhansk and Donetsk can only hope for better treatment than what happened in Butsja, which is a short drive from Kyiv.
Grygorij was in Butsja throughout the occupation. One of his worst moments was at the very beginning of the war, when helicopters bombed the airport at Hostomel a few kilometers away.
DISAPPEARED: This disfigured Christ statue is just about everything left after the church of Elijah and Andrew in Hostomel. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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– Then we realized that they were moving here, and that something terrible was happening, he says.
Over 400 died
When the soldiers came to Butsja, many wrote the words “here live people” on their gates, in an attempt to make them show some consideration.
It did not help much.
When they left a month later, more than 400 civilians were left dead in the streets. At the back of the church that Dagbladet visits, a mass grave was found, according to the public prosecutor with about 67 dead.
Nevertheless, there is now a small crowd at the church, to mark the Orthodox Easter.
BUTSJA. Two neighbors holding each other. Photo: Hans Arne Vedlog / Dagbladet
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– Not real priests
Few of those present have any understanding that their fellow believers in the Russian Orthodox Church in Moscow support the war.
– They’re not real priests. They’re probably just doing their job, and are really from the KGB. That is the only explanation, says Grygorij.
The pastor of the congregation also uses strong words.
– Their faith and ours are totally different. Here we preach about peace and a life without war. They do the opposite, says the priest, Andrij Halavin, to Dagbladet.
ADULTS ONLY: – Before, there were many families with children. Now we see almost only adults, because the families are divided, says priest Andrij Halavin.
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Eyes of hope
Nor does Halavin see much reason to celebrate, as he spreads holy water over painted eggs and sweet bread that the believers bring with them.
– Before the war, there were usually 7,000 people visiting the church on Easter Sunday, he says. Now he does not think that there are as many as that in the whole of Butsja, a city that before the war had about 30,000 inhabitants.
– Before, there were many families with children here. Now we see almost only adults, because the families are divided, he says.
At the same time, he sees something that makes him moderate a little.
– Over there I see a child. So then there is at least a hope, says Andrij Halavin.
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