RUSSIA – Russia and Ukraine are planning a prisoner swap before April 12, which is the Orthodox Easter, according to the Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova on Thursday.

“A great deal of work is underway today to prepare for prisoner exchanges ahead of Easter,” Moskalkova said.

“Russia strives to get to an agreement with the Ukrainian side before Easter,” she said, adding that Moscow wishes “to do everything possible so that prisoners of war can also celebrate this holiday.”

“Prisoners of war are Orthodox. Both in Russia and in Ukraine, prisoners of war will receive Easter cakes and opportunities to meet with a priest,” she added.

On March 27, head of Ukraine’s presidential office Kyrylo Budanov also said that Kyiv hopes to hold another exchange of war prisoners with Russia on Easter.

“Negotiations are ongoing, and new exchanges will take place. I very much hope that at Easter we will all witness a major exchange. And we will do everything necessary for that,” he said.

Catholic and Protestant Christians will celebrate Easter on April 5, while Orthodox Christians in Russia and Ukraine will celebrate Easter a week later on April 12, due to calendar differences.

The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar for calculations, whereas Western churches use the Gregorian calendar, which frequently causes Orthodox Christmas and Easter to fall later.