Ukraine Prayer # 494

Ira Kapitonova
Have mercy upon us, O Lord,
have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
Psalm 123:3
Two news reports I came across today.
The first one is about a Baptist pastor in Selidove (Donetsk region). A Russian missile destroyed his house, and by God's grace, he and his family are alive because they decided to spend the night in a different place. Their church adjacent to the house is still standing, but the explosion shattered the window glass. They knew they were among the likely targets because the enemy had been destroying schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure in the city.
 
Another report was from the occupied part of Kherson region. A priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was abducted a few days ago. Now, it was discovered that he was tortured to death by the occupational authorities. Despite being under occupation, the priest kept conducting services in Ukrainian and praying for Ukraine.
Remember these reports when someone brings up an argument that Russia is fighting for Christian values.
 
The western media might be focusing on another significant event – the death of Alexey Navalny in a Russian prison. He was the leader of the Russian opposition, Putin's primary opponent. His death doesn't look that surprising, especially as Russia is getting ready for elections. However, we hope it will be a clear message for those who keep believing change is possible in Russia. It is possible, but only after this empire falls.
Navalny isn't the only one killed by Putin's regime. Today, Russia's military losses amounted to over 400,000 personnel.
 
Pray for this killing to stop, pray for Russia. Pray for a change in the regime. Pray for the many people detained for protesting and continue to pray for Ukraine.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Today's picture — the much-suffering Avdiivka. Our soldiers are retreating from the town today. Photo by Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov.