By Laura McKillip Wood
Despite being the first metropolitan region of Ukraine to fall to Russian forces after the invasion, the inhabitants of Kherson have passionately maintained their loyalty to their mother country. Residents continue to protest the Russian occupation; they assemble in the city’s center to pray, wave Ukrainian flags, and sing patriotic songs. Until recently, the protests were peaceful, and Russian soldiers watched warily from the sidelines. Despite detaining roughly 400 Ukrainian protestors, Russian soldiers generally did not react violently.
However, on March 21 the Russian military used stun grenades and fired at protesters. Videos of the incident show protestors running through the streets while projectiles land around them and guns are fired off-camera. According to Reuters, people soon returned to the main square where the confrontation happened, and one man courageously waved a Ukrainian flag in front of a Russian soldier. (To watch videos of protests filmed by Ukrainians in Kherson, visit this Instagram post.)
Media reported Friday that Ukrainian forces had regained control of parts of Kherson. Battles elsewhere have made it difficult for Russian forces to maintain control of Kherson, which is important to controlling other important cities, such as Odesa. After fierce clashes with the Ukrainian military, Russia has indicated they intend to limit their forces to the eastern regions of Donbas.
In the midst of this, Christians in Kherson work to provide relief for other people living there by distributing food, water, and medical supplies. Store shelves are empty, and food is difficult to find. Organizations in western Ukraine and Poland attempt to supply these Christians and other relief organizations, but roads into and out of the city are blocked by Russian forces, making travel for humanitarian purposes difficult.
UKRAINIAN CHURCHES PROVIDE AID
Uman, a central Ukrainian city with a prewar population of about 82,000, is home to Resurrection of Christ Church. Since Uman has not suffered from attacks as severely as cities in eastern Ukraine, Christians there have worked tirelessly to host and feed internally displaced people while sending humanitarian aid to eastern cities. Over the past week, 250 volunteers canvassed villages that surround the city, buying food and supplies and accepting donations from farmers. They processed and canned some of the food to preserve it for shipment.
“Most of this is loaded on vans and taken to Kyiv suburbs, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, [and] Odesa regions,” says Maia, a representative of the church’s ministry. “Sometimes our volunteer teams can’t enter the city (Kherson is under occupation), but they meet on the edge of the Kherson region to pass food to Kherson believers to take it into the city.”
More than 3,000 refugees have passed through the church, which provides clothing and supplies to these men, women, and children, most of whom left their homes with very little. They also house about 1,000 internally displaced people in the homes of church members. This church endeavors to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those in need. To learn more about their ministry and that of their parent ministry, International Partnerships, go to ipministry.org.
If you want to help with Ukrainian relief efforts, consider donating to one of these organizations:
• Mulberry International provides relief to refugees through Ukrainian organizations on the ground.
• IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service)—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
• International Partnership empowers churches throughout Ukraine to help those in conflict areas.
Laura McKillip Wood, former missionary to Ukraine, lives in Papillion, Nebraska, and writes about missions for Christian Standard.
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