Ukraine: Due to the risk of land mines and unexploded ordnance, hundreds of cemeteries close to front lines will be closed to Ukrainians this weekend who wish to visit the graves of their loved ones in observance of Orthodox Easter.

However, in the formerly Russian-occupied village of Kobzartsi in the southwest Mykolaiv region, locals say they are extremely appreciative that demining officers were able to remove dangers from one of the two nearby cemeteries so they could visit.

Thank goodness the deminers came through. Easter will be observed, and we will go to the cemetery as usual. The most important thing is that we are alive, thank God," said Olena Yarova, a 46-year-old villager.

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Around Easter, a lot of Ukrainians pay their respects and clean up the graves of their loved ones.

Out of the 1,200 residents who were there before Russia invaded in February 2022, only 42 are still living in Kobzartsi. Ukraine is covered in a shocking amount of hazardous war debris as a result of fighting.

The commander of the Kobzartsi demining team reported finding munitions and debris on the ground.

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"Shrapnel wounds are a foregone conclusion if it explodes nearby. According to the officer Vladyslav Hrytsai, "a person dies after being struck with such munitions in 90% of such cases.

74-year-old Lidiia Osypenko declared: "We will go only after the deminers. The second cemetery was not demined. Without them, we won't travel. It is risky to proceed in this manner.

When Ukrainian forces recaptured a large portion of the Kherson region, which had been taken shortly after the beginning of Russia's invasion, the village was freed after months of occupation.

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This year's Easter cemetery visits are not permitted, according to the governor of the Kherson region, where large portions are still occupied. 753 cemeteries have been shut down in the northeastern Kharkiv region, which is now fully under Ukrainian control following a brief Russian occupation.