On February 23 2022 the Putin regime launched a unilateral war against the people of Ukraine. At the time of this post the aim of the war seems to be, from reports on the ground, the toppling of the Ukrainian government and a long term occupation of Ukraine by Russian forces.
The UN Security Council was in session as bombs fell on Ukrainian cities. By extraordinary happenstance the session was chaired by the Russian Ambassador Vasily Alekseevich Nebenzya.
During the session Ukrainian Ambassador Sergiy Kyslytsya said to his counterpart, “Go ahead, say at this very moment that Ukrainian cities are not being bombed.” The ongoing denials and propaganda from the Russian state was on display even as the bombs fell.
As Christians we are called to pray. This prayer from the Church of England describes the nature of our prayers.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA has this statement from Metropolitan Anthony.
The Orthodox Church of America has issued this statement from His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon.
The Greek Catholic Church of Ukraine put out this statement from Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk.
We are urging KMS society members to pray the following points on Ukraine:
- Pray that this war does not escalate to involve the nations of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and/or Poland.
- Pray for peace protests in Russia to grow and put pressure on the Putin regime to end his war.
- Pray for the political opponents of Putin who have been targeted by Russian Government security agencies for assassination.
- Pray for the war itself to be short in days.
- Pray for the babushkas, young children, distraught parents, and soldiers of both armies who are killed and/or injured in this war.
- Pray for those that the Lord is calling to lend aid and provide for those in need. That the Lord would protect them and they would have access to the resources they need.
- Pray for those who will lose everything in this war.
- Pray for people to find God and his son Jesus Christ.
- Pray for those who speak a Christian language but whose hearts are far from Jesus that they would repent and that believers would be bolder about encouraging one another in love to take who Jesus is and what he means for day to day life and our view of the world more seriously.
Here is a good recap with interviews of Ukrainians and Russians from the BBC on the initial full day of Putin’s war.
Some initial ways to give from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA with a church wide appeal, Mission to the World working out of Lviv in the west of the country and an a live appeal update here from Caritas International and the way to give here.