On April 20, the day of the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the Easter Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the church of Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine and Elena, located on the territory of the summer residence of the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul. The service was led by Priest Georgy Sergeev, who is responsible for the organization of the care of the flock of the Russian Orthodox Church in the territory of the Republic of Turkey.
Believers of the Moscow Patriarchate living in the cities of Bursa and Kocaeli also arrived in Istanbul for the festive service. In total, more than 200 people attended the Liturgy. At the special litany, special prayer requests were made and a prayer for Holy Russia was read.
At the end of the service, Father George read out the Easter Message of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, and then addressed the audience with a welcoming speech. After the service, those present in the church were invited to a festive meal.
On April 19 and 20, divine services on Holy Saturday and Holy Resurrection of Christ were held at the Russian House in Ankara. With the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations, the services were performed by Priest Evgeny Dolya, a cleric of the Kolomna Diocese.
The festive service was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Turkey A.V. Yerkhov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to Turkey A.A. Glazov, employees of the embassies of the two countries and other Russian foreign institutions with their families, as well as more than 120 compatriots. More than 110 people received communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
On April 19, an Easter Fair was held in Ankara with the support of the Russian House. Despite the bad weather, many compatriots visited the fair. Priest Evgeny Dolya consecrated Easter products, eggs and cakes, and the head of the Russian House, A.A. Sotnichenko, congratulated the visitors on the approach of the feast of the Resurrection of Christ.
On April 19, the parish of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) in Antalya, together with Jiraf book/cofee, organized a charity Easter fair. The purpose of the event was to tell the audience about the feast of Holy Sunday and to offer Easter treats. The dance group Parlak yıldız from the studio of the Russian Society of Antalya also took part in the celebration.
On Holy Saturday and Easter, divine services were also held for believers living in Antalya. More than 500 people gathered for the divine services, which were conducted by Priest Alexy Golovin, who is responsible for the care of the Russian-speaking flock in this city; parishioners of the community who came from the cities of Marmaris and Fethiye were also present.
In the Antalya city of Alanya, the Easter service was performed by priest Dimitri Bogatyr, who is responsible for the care of the Russian-speaking flock. More than 180 people took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
With the blessing of Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Hieromonk Pamphilus (Osokin), a resident of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, was sent to perform the Easter service in Izmir. The service was organized with the assistance of the Chairman of the Solzhenitsyn Russian Society in Izmir, A.V. Ponomarev.
The Easter Liturgy was celebrated in the Church of St. Vukol of Smyrna, which is under the jurisdiction of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Compatriots who live in Izmir, as well as in nearby cities, came to the festive service. More than 120 Russian-speaking believers from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia attended.
On Easter night, Hieromonk Palladius (Bystrov), a resident of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, performed a divine service for the employees of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant under construction. More than 170 people prayed during the Divine Liturgy.
On April 22, the Tuesday of Holy Week, Priest Georgy Sergeyev celebrated the Divine Liturgy for the faithful of the Moscow Patriarchate living in the city of Eskisehir, which is located in the central part of Turkey.
The next day, on the Wednesday of Holy Week, an Easter service was held in the city of Samsun on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Priest Georgy Sergeyev. More than 30 people attended the divine services these days, most of whom received communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.