Tales from the Ukrainian church

This morning I had the privilege of meeting a delegation of faith leaders from Ukraine as they passed through the UK on their way to the United States, where they hope to shore up political support for the Ukrainian war effort and tell US Christians the story of the Ukrainian church in both free and occupied Ukraine. This article fulfills a promise I made them to tell you – our supporters – their story, and to remind us that after almost three years of war we should not forget their plight, and the role the church has had in their struggle.

The history of the war will be familiar to all of us. On the 24^th February 2022, Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, escalating a conflict that had been ongoing since 2014. Initially, Russian forces aimed to capture Kyiv, but strong Ukrainian resistance forced a withdrawal. The war then shifted to the east and south, with Russia seizing significant parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson. However, Ukraine regained ground in counteroffensives in late 2022.

In 2023-2024, the war became a war of attrition, with heavy fighting in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and the Zaporizhzhia front. Western nations provided Ukraine with advanced weapons, but a stalemate persisted. In recent weeks, Russia has recently gained territory in Donetsk, while Ukraine faces mobilization challenges and uncertain U.S. support. Casualties are high on both sides, and diplomatic solutions remain elusive.

The delegation I met this morning reflected this situation.

But they did not want to merely recount facts, and their stories were a reminder that even a statement comes at a high price.

One pastor spoke about the women widowed, and children orphaned in his congregation just in the last few weeks, and how Ukrainians receive daily reports on the number killed in bombing raids in different parts of the country. All the faith leaders recounted stories of sadness, destruction, and atrocities, but were also keen to share accounts of prayers answered, miracles experienced, and hope for the church in proclaiming God’s word and stepping up to act with great boldness and courage.

When asked what Christians in the UK could do, they had some very specific requests, but before recounting them, I have been reflecting on what I have learnt from their stories and experiences that are lessons we need to hear.

The first may be obvious. The war and the atrocities that have been carried out remind us that evil is real. Our culture is prone to hyperbole and exaggeration, but it is difficult not to call what is going on in some parts of Ukraine anything but evil.

The church leaders I met with recounted tales of pastors being tied to trees for days and no one being allowed to approach them to offer any help; Russian troops raiding a Pentecost Sunday service and marching four of the church elders out, imprisoning them, torturing them, and burning their bodies. We were told of an occupied village where all the residents were forbidden to lock their doors. The punishment for disobeying was a firing squad, and the reason for having all doors unlocked was to impose the threat that they could enter any home at any time to steal, beat, or rape the residents.

Evil is real. Yes, it lies within all our hearts, but here we see it unleashed and unrestrained amid the horrors of war.

And as is the case in every example where evil causes harm and terror, it is the vulnerable who suffer, often alongside the faithful.

It is no surprise that the examples which the church leaders shared with us were of faithful Christians, whether young or old, or male or female, who stood up and spoke out against the crimes committed. It is no surprise because this is how the Bible describes the world and the story of God’s people.

Time and again the Bible describes evil actions and the pain and the suffering it causes, from the cries of the enslaved Israelites in Egypt, to the abuse of Israel and Judah’s unjust leaders; from God’s people taken into exile and captivity in Babylon, to the persecution of the early church we read about in Acts; evil has always persecuted the faithful.

Yet we know that within God’s big story, evil will not ultimately triumph. I believe Ukraine gives us a glimpse of that hope even if, at this time, we only see that partially.

By every human measure and prediction, Ukraine should have been overwhelmed by Russian forces. Nearly every serious commentator expected Ukraine to fall within days. Pockets of resistance may have carried on but really, there was no comparison or contest between the two military forces. What happened in the Crimea was meant to foretell what would happen to the rest of Ukraine in 2022.

Yet the large majority of Ukrainian territory is still independent. This is undoubtedly the result of a combination of Western support, and Ukrainian valour and commitment on the ground, resisting and fighting for every inch of their own land.

Ukraine should encourage us that even when evil seems overwhelming, its victory is not inevitable.

Ukraine is not perfect – it has real problems with corruption and elements of their politics and society may sit uncomfortably with our values, but from our perspective in the West this is as near a good vs evil conflict as we are likely to encounter in the modern, messy, and geopolitically complex world.

So let us take heart, but also acknowledge the challenge we are now faced with.

Three years feels like a long time. When war broke out it was on our screens every night. But after a while our attention wanders. New problems arise, and we are distracted by other events.

The Ukrainians do not have the luxury of moving on or forgetting. We do, but we should not.

My friend Krish Kandiah asked the group what they would say to those in the UK and US who might suggest it is time to sue for peace and for Ukraine to sacrifice the territories it has lost.

The faces on the opposite side of the table smiled back at us and shook their heads at the suggestion.

In occupied territories, churches not under the authority of Moscow are destroyed or repurposed for the military; Christian brothers and sisters not bowing the knee to Russia suffer persecution. They are not allowed to speak Ukrainian, not allowed to hold any reference to Ukraine, not allowed to gather to pray, to hear God’s word preached, or to worship together.

And yet God’s word holds hope.

We were told that churches destroyed by the Russians have gone underground, and in occupied territories there is a real hunger for God’s word and new secret churches gathering.

We were told of miracles that are happening each day, including stories of churches being miraculously saved from bombing while congregations gathered inside to pray – one instance where a missile broke through the roof, flew through the body of the church, out of a church window and down into a well where the explosion was contained and did not harm a single person.

We were told of the 16 million people the government believe need soul care from the church to deal with the trauma of war. Yes, this is the Government saying that the church needs to give these people soul care because of what they have seen the church do already.

Christians in Ukraine have opened up their homes to house those displaced by conflict; the church has mobilized vast food programmes and is preparing to meet the soul care needs of it countrymen.

How do the Ukrainian church leaders persevere and stay faithful? They pray, they serve God, they carry out good works to serve and alleviate suffering, and they hold onto God’s promises and their gospel hope.

And what do they ask of us?

Simply to pray for them, to learn about what is going on in Ukraine, to advocate on their behalf to our politicians, and to take other practical opportunities to support them.

These requests seem so incredibly simple, even small, in the context of the challenges at hand.

I have been reflecting on Psalm 147, where David’s song is that our God:

“heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds…”

“The Lord sustains the humble
but casts the wicked to the ground…”

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his delight in the legs of the warrior;
the Lord delights in those who fear him,
who put their hope in his unfailing love.” (verses 3, 6, 10+11)

I pray these are words that encourage those in Ukraine, and words we can believe God can enact today.

May I encourage us to honour our Ukrainian brothers’ requests to pray for them, learn about what is happening, and to seek opportunities to advocate and provide support for their efforts.

Many in Ukraine start each day with a minute’s silence for the fallen and to pray for their country. Perhaps the least and the greatest thing we can do for them this week is to take the same minute each day to remember and pray for them, their church, and their nation. Pray that they may have the power and resources to resist evil and hold firm to the true hope we have.