News from the war

News from ... 

Day 10 of war. We are still alive. Sasha had a very, VERY difficult night. Still no contractions, but 7th night on the floor seemed to be the hardest. For 30 min in the morning, there was a break in air raids and Sasha went to bed to sleep. When air raid started again we didn't have the heart to wake her up to move to shelter. So we are just staying in our apartment and pray that God will protect her sleep from Russian bombs.

We read in western media that US officials said that Ukrainians put up an admirable fight, but they don't believe we will be able to stand till the end of the week. Ok. We have today and tomorrow to prove them wrong! I think they are underestimating Ukrainians and they do not take God into account but we do. This is what the LORD says to you: `Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. (2 Chronicles 20:16)

US officials also say that it is apparent that Putin has changed his tactic of war. Since he is failing with his army on the ground, he decided to bomb cities into submission from air. US officials say that there will be significant life losses. It’s good that this is apparent. Yesterday’s NATO decision NOT to help us by closing our sky seems especially cruel. We hear that majority of people in Europe and the USA are supporting closing the sky, but leaders appear to be too weak.

Our President Zelenksy said in response to that decision: “"Knowing that new strikes and casualties are imminent, NATO has deliberately decided not to close the sky over Ukraine. We believe that NATO countries have created a narrative that closing the sky over Ukraine will provoke Russian aggression against NATO. It is self-hypnosis. Although, they have weapons many times stronger than we have. You had to think about people. About humanity. And what were you thinking about at that summit?

All the people who will die from now will also die because of you. Because of your weakness. Because of your disunity. The only thing that the Alliance has managed to do so far is to push through its procurement system 50 tons of diesel for Ukraine.”

The exchange of liters of diesel for liters of Ukrainian blood shed for European freedom doesn’t seem fair. Please, keep pushing leaders of your countries to make the right decision – to save thousands of lives in Ukraine!

After 10 days of war over 1 million refugees from Ukraine crossed borders to European countries. They are welcomed warmly and taken care of. We are grateful! But the stories I read on my friends’ pages of men taking their wives and children to the border and returning to defend their cities bring tears of pain and priide. Men kissing goodbyes to their little kids, knowing that they might never see them again, kids clinging to their fathers – it’s beyond heartbreaking!

Millions of people (nobody is counting) are internally displaced. People flee from their ruined cities at least the furthest they can get West from Russian aggressors. They don’t want to go abroad, they settle in villages and towns in Western Ukraine. Locals are welcoming them, feeding, hosting in their homes. The roads are still full of cars moving slowly west. The trains departing from Kyiv and Kharkiv are packed with people, no luggage is allowed, people are even standing for many-many hours. Some of those train rides are over 24 hours. After vicious bombing of Kharkiv our pastor there put his wife and daughters on the train to Lviv while his son and he stayed to defend Kharkiv and to help people. Luda and the girls started the trip standing, but at some point someone gave them his seat to sit.

And how many millions have been forced to spend the last 9 days and nights in bomb shelters?! How can one madman with vocal or silent agreement of a majority of his citizens cause such a disaster in a large European country (the size of Texas/ bigger than France). The whole world is watching, leaders are afraid of the third world war. World War of who against whom? Russian against the world? NATO has a military arsenal several times larger than Putin. If NATO even indicates that it will stand for Ukraine, the war will be over, if NATO closes the sky, the war will be over!

Thank you for your prayers and support, friends! Ukraine is suffering, but we are not broken! God is with us! We shall overcome!