By Laura McKillip Wood
Since the Russian invasion a month ago, Americans have heard many stories of Ukrainian refugees flooding Europe, but what has happened to those who remain in cities under siege?
IN KYIV: Masha* stayed in Kyiv with her family. The church she attends continues to meet. Some members have left; members of other churches now attend hers because they cannot make it across town to their churches. Her church, like many across Ukraine, shares what food and supplies they have. The government has asked businesses to continue paying people, if possible, and many do.
“A lot of businesses are donating things they have in storage, like diapers, baby formula,” Masha says. “Restaurants are cooking and delivering meals to our defenders on [the] front lines and to hospitals.”
Masha’s daughter and her husband were expecting their first child when the war started. They prayed fighting would end before the baby’s birth, but last week Masha’s daughter gave birth in the city’s maternity hospital. The family rejoices over their new member, whose birth has shined a light in a dark time.
NO ONE IS TRULY SAFE
In areas where bombardment is fierce, people spend every night in shelters. Kharkiv and Kyiv have subway systems that double as bomb shelters. As news outlets reported last week, a theater in Mariupol that served as shelter to hundreds of people was bombed. No one is truly safe.
IN KHARKIV: Tanya and her family spent each night hunkered down in their tiny basement, listening to the sound of shelling overhead. One morning they emerged from their home to find a missile embedded in their front yard. Another had hit the corner of their house, just inches from where they all huddled in fear. Neither had exploded. Shocked, she and her family jumped in their car and began driving.
“It was like an action movie,” Tanya says. They dodged bombs as they drove. Running on adrenaline, they took nothing but the clothes on their backs. Somehow, they made it to the train station.
Tanya mourns the loss of her city and those she left behind.
“Most of the biggest residential areas of Kharkiv have been destroyed. Anything that is civilian is being destroyed,” she says.
Churches in the city provide what relief they can to the 1,500 people who shelter in the subway system; they have opened their doors to people from the community. Christians gather in the central square of the city to pray for peace.
IN MARIUPOL: Stories of the sustained attack on Mariupol have filled the news. On March 9, Russian forces struck a maternity hospital. The bomb caused a two-story-deep crater in the center of the hospital property, destroyed buildings in the hospital complex, and wounded at least 17 people. A pregnant woman and her baby died from the blast.
In Mariupol and other cities, baby formula is needed since nursing mothers’ bodies are no longer producing milk due to the stress they experience. It’s almost impossible to get this formula to Mariupol since Russian forces have blocked all humanitarian aid.
Mariupol’s situation is dire. People hide in underground garages and anywhere that might provide safety. There is no water, heat, electricity, or cell phone service. Temperatures are below freezing.
“The city basically no longer exists,” says one terrified resident. An estimated 90 percent of the buildings have been destroyed.
IN KHERSON: Christians in Kherson provide aid to those around them. Alexei, a pastor, knows he is on the Russian capture list since he was a member of the Ukrainian army. Nevertheless, he continues to scour the city for food and medical supplies.
Some of Alexei’s trips take him on roads where Russian checkpoints make travel dangerous, but he prays and continues. He has even visited church members who have not ventured to church because of the danger; a visit from their pastor is welcome.
In Kherson’s center, people demonstrate daily, praying, and singing. Until recently, armed Russian soldiers lining the streets have simply watched. This week, they shot at the demonstrators.
STRONG TIES WITH AMERICAN CHRISTIANS
Many American Christians have supported the work in Ukraine over the past three decades, since the fall of the Soviet Union. Many have visited Ukrainian Christians. The ties between the Ukrainian and American churches are strong. The Ukrainian people are courageous, passionate, and prize their independence. Ukrainian Christians serve God with that same passion and commitment. Their examples inspire the world.
*All names have been changed.
If you want to help with relief efforts in Ukraine, consider donating to one of these organizations:
• Mulberry International provides relief to refugees through Ukrainian organizations on the ground.
• IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) — be sure to designate your gift as “Ukraine relief.”
• Mountainview Christian Church is collecting money to send to Tavriski Christian Institute staff on the ground doing relief work.
• Proem Ministries is welcoming, sheltering, and feeding refugees from Ukraine as they arrive in Poland.
• Love for Ukrainians provides humanitarian aid and relief for those displaced and impacted by the war in Ukraine.
Shepherd’s Purse has worked in Ukraine going on 20 years in 10 cities over the years. We are in constant contact with friends/partners there and have been raising funds for humanitariun aid.