Although Americans are appropriately focused this week on giving thanks to God for His blessing upon our nation, it’s important that we remember and pray for those in Ukraine who remain under constant attack from Russia.
Despite a valiant and highly successful effort by Ukrainian forces to push back Russian forces, the battle continues into the winter months. Beyond internationally-investigated and documented Russian war crimes against Ukraine’s civilian population, non-military housing, hospitals and infrastructure – including electrical generating facilities, the situation has become truly dire, as millions are at risk of starving, freezing to death or being caught in the crossfire, especially as Ukraine prepares for sweeps of the recently-reclaimed areas of Kherson and Mykolaiv.
Newsmax reports this morning that Russia’s response to military setbacks in recent weeks has included a barrage of missile strikes against power facilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that half of the country’s power capacity has been knocked out by Russian rockets and that systematic damage to Ukraine’s energy system from strikes was so substantial that all of the country’s citizens and businesses should limit their consumption of electricity.
See the Newsmax report HERE.
According to Reuters, Ukrainian authorities report that millions of Ukrainians, including in the capital Kyiv, could face power cuts at least until the end of March due to the ongoing Russian missile attacks. Ukraine’s national grid operator, Ukrenergo, said that the attacks had wreaked “colossal” damage.
See Reuters report HERE.
According to AP News, Ukrainian authorities have begun evacuating civilians from recently liberated sections of the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, fearing that a lack of heat, power and water due to Russian shelling will make living conditions unbearable this winter. The World Health Organization (“WHO”) similarly warned that millions face a “life-threatening” winter in Ukraine. Russia has been pounding Ukraine’s power grid and other infrastructure from the air for weeks, damaging more than 50% of the country’s energy facilities, and causing widespread blackouts that have left millions without electricity, heat and water. Winter is often brutal in Ukraine, where snow has already covered many parts of the country, including the capital city of Kyiv.
See the most-recent AP News articles HERE and HERE.
Ukraine operates its own official website regarding the war, providing hour-by-hour and day-by-day reports of war activities, as opposed to information that’s been filtered through various US or European news agencies. See Ukraine’s website HERE.
Since the war began on February 24, 2022, the website reports that Russian forces have lost approximately 85,000 troops, 2,895 tanks, 5,827 armored vehicles, 1,882 artillery systems, 209 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 278 aircraft, 261 helicopters, 4,393 military vehicles, 16 military boats, 1,537 tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, and 480 cruise missiles.
Please continue to fervently pray for God’s intervention, with a swift and just end to the bloodshed; food, shelter, power and heat for all stranded and displaced persons; and a swift and just end to the hostilities. The suffering, pain and trauma upon so many Ukrainian men, women and children is more than most of us can imagine. Let’s not forget all of the neighboring countries (e.g., Poland, Hungary) as they step up to support refugees fleeing the fighting and life threatening conditions. Let’s also pray that world leaders would operate in God’s wisdom and that Russian leaders would recognize that this war is evil and must come to an end!
And while we’re on our knees, let’s continue to pray for all involved to seek the presence and calling of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. After all, the only Answer is Jesus!
Psalm 46:8-10 [NKJV]
“Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations[;] I will be exalted in the earth!”
