“What a terrible thing war is, what a terrible thing!”
― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
Ukraine is no closer to living in peace as Russian soldiers and Russian-backed fighters have increased their attacks on Ukraine. Today’s war zone looked like this:
Last week thirteen civilians were killed and many wounded when a bus was hit by a shell in Volnovakha. Civilians are dying daily as the death toll (civilian and military) has surpassed 4,800 on the Ukrainian side alone. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are internally displaced.
The numbers are only likely to rise. Fighting has been very intense, especially at the Donetsk airport. Ukrainian forces say that they have have defended and reclaimed the portions of the airport that the Russian forces had seized. Today reports are that around 600-700 Russian soldiers have crossed the border into Ukraine. Analysts predict that Russia is preparing to use air bombardment. All indications are that Putin will not wait for spring to escalate the conflict. The escalation is happening now.
Although this news is devastating for Ukraine, we feel confident that the fighting will stay to the eastern region of the country and we will be safe in Kyiv. Please pray for Ukraine. Pray that the Ukrainian leaders would have wisdom in how to respond to this aggression. Please pray that western countries who claim to support Ukraine would take necessary action. Pray for the people of Russia who suffer under a leader who has no regard for his own people or for life itself.
For more details, check out these articles and videos:
PBS Frontline’s documentary on Putin’s rise to power