MAKSIM (KYIV)
Back on the road to reach new villages and lonely people!
Together with the Youth with a Mission Kyiv team, we went to the Ivankovsky district closer to the Chernobyl zone in order to tell people about God’s love and congratulate them on Easter.
Our team was able to distribute 200 food bags to poor and lonely people. During the trip, we visited 6 villages, a nursing home where there were 30 single women, a rehabilitation center and large families.

Visiting villages and entering houses, we met various people who told about their experiences during the invasion of Russian soldiers.
Their stories make us cry, and their houses testify to the aggression of Russian invaders. The house where grandmother and grandfather live was destroyed by the blast and the roof of their house was torn off, and the fragments from the shells destroyed the ceiling, and when it rains, they get wet.
They are unable to repair this house with their resources and rely on God and the help of other people who can come to make a roof and walls or help financially.
It is very painful to look into the eyes of people who have no houses and property left, these grandmothers are forced to live in the basement (cellar) of their house in their old age and ask for help in food and the construction of their houses.
One Grandmother, who is 88 years old, said that she was born during the war, when German soldiers came, they stroked the heads of small children and gave them sweets, and today the soldiers came and they are worse than the Germans, they broke into houses and robbed everyone, mocking and killing people and children …
There were tears in the eyes of this grandmother, we prayed that God would console her kind heart. Many people in villages do not have the opportunity to buy food, medicine, diapers. Every grocery bag we gave was a special gift for them.

Thank you Youth with a Mission Kyiv and Yulia Kens for your support in God’s work. Our trip was very long and hard.
While distributing food to people, we prayed that God would give them hope that their houses would be rebuilt and God’s peace would come to Ukraine!
Looking back, I see that it was a good time of service, we were able to help those who really needed food, medicine, tools, gasoline.
I want to say more thanks to God for every person who prays and supports God’s work.

Leaders in Ukraine
“Please pray for our vehicles. After 2 months of rough driving, there is a lot of repairs that need to be done. So we had another van that broke down on the way into Kyiv. Please pray for more vehicles and finances for the repairs. Please pray for safety for our drivers, we need vans and cars to be reliable and our people to be safe and not be stuck in dangerous places.”

As the war continues the biggest request these days from the Ukainians is that they not be forgotten. Please continue to hold them up in your prayers.

We will continue to let you know of the needs and praise reports coming from inside Ukraine and the border areas but we will not be doing this on a daily basis.
We will be sharing three or four days a week. This will allow us to give you more indepth reports.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Rusland Maliuta (OneHope)
Ukraine Update, April 25th, 2022, 6:44 pm
Combat
In the east, heavy fighting continues. During the last week, russia has been attacking Ukrainian positions every day, shelling and conducting airstrikes on both military and civilian targets.
In the south, the situation is largely unchanged, but combat is intensifying in some places. Russian forces are likely preparing for an attack in the Zaporizhzhya direction.
Most of the city of Mariupol is occupied, however, the Azovstal industrial complex remains under Ukrainian control. The defenders of Mariupol continue to inflict casualties on the russian army, destroying armored vehicles, tanks, and large numbers of infantry. The russian army has not ceased its attempts to capture Azovstal; ground assaults, as well as shelling from both ground and ship-based artillery and airstrikes continue constantly.
This morning, several railway hubs in western Ukraine were targeted by russian missile strikes. As of this moment, it is known that 5 people were killed and 18 were wounded as a result of the strikes.

War crimes and crimes against humanity
Hundreds of civilians and severely wounded soldiers are trapped in the besieged Azovstal complex. The russian army continues to decline to provide Anow have water reserves for only one more week.
In the occupied parts of Mariupol, Russian forces are exhuming bodies buried in the streets and moving them to mass graves to conceal the scale of the tragedy. Due to russian terrorists controlling most of the city and the severity of the destruction, it is impossible to calculate casualties comprehensively. However, according to the latest official information, over 20,000 inhabitants of Mariupol were killed by the russian forces since the beginning of the war.

Refugees and displaced
As of April 24th, 5,232,014 people have fled Ukraine.
Photo credit: misha.djos. Irpin with 75% of buildings in the city destroyed or damaged.

Al Akimoff and YWAM Slavic Ministries Team

From Rachel, one of our YWAM staff In Tijuana Mexico.
Today was a special day in the Ukrainian refugee camp in Tijuana where our YWAM team serves. It is Orthodox Easter today and we were able to do some crafts & silly games with the kids and teach them about what Resurrection Sunday means. And of course there was an Easter egg hunt. During our program many of the families had their numbers called and were moved out of the camp to cross the border to the USA. There are lots of changes happening today and even in the midst of the chaos there were lots of smiles and joy. I noticed the parents smiling even more as they watched their kids just get to be kids and have some fun.

Latest areas of prayer for Ukraine
Five railway stations have come under attack in central and western Ukraine, according to officials
There are reports of casualties after stations in Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn in central Ukraine were hit
Please pray for the safety of refugees coming by train to the West. Also for our Ywam family assisting these families coming by train.
Russia has said it will suspend attacks on the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to allow civilians to leave – but Ukraine has demanded written security guarantees.
This is important for prayer for Ukrainians to get out safely from the steel plant. Also for our drivers as they continue to travel the dangerous roads to help mothers and the elderly to provide food and medical supplies.

Yulia
Today 476 food bags
Right now food bags is our main focus as we see a huge need in Kyiv region and trying to look farther to see if we can help in neighboring regions like Chernigov.
Every day we send out 4 vans and few smaller cars to deliver food in these two regions. Almost every day is a new village that we have never been before and more requests are coming.
Bringing food is something so simple but so crucial in this time and people are breaking in tears from seeing those bags. We are so happy to be hands and feet here and Ukraine and so blessed to have your hearts with us supporting and cheering us on through prayer and finances.

Another very troubling event took place today in Transniestria a small breakaway enclave in Moldova. The State Security building was bombed today. Russia claims it was Ukraine who bombed it. However this will give Russia the excuse to be able to move into the area where there are already Russian troops giving them the ability to move eventually on to Moldoava. Please pray…

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

PRAYER OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE
God, the great, the only one, protect Ukraine.
Protect those who protect us and defend our motherland. Strengthen the will of those who protect us from captivity. Help those who help them. Give strength to those who give their all.
Let everyone who seeks – will always find. May everyone who is on the way now, always overcome it. May anyone who does their best to save never lose faith that all things are possible. Save the lives of those who save the lives of others. May life win the battle of death everyday.
Take care of our mothers and give strength to those waiting for a son or daughter from the war. Give resilience to those who did not wait for their child from the front. Help overcome the unbearable pain of those who lost their native child in the cities and villages where Russia brought death.
Give strength and stability to our parents to wait for peace and victory and return of their own. Let them see how our land will be liberated and restored, and give us the strength to do so.
Take care of all our children and give each of them a happy youth, youth, maturity and old age.
You know we have not destroyed other nations, so don’t let us be destroyed. Save Ukraine. Her right and left bank when we are beaten right and left cheek.
We believe that during Your judgment you will not forget and condemn all those who have forgotten Your commandments. Don’t forget about Buchu, Irpin, Gostomel, Borodianku, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Kramatorska, Mariupol and Kiev.
Let all the people living in other cities and hear frightening explosions hear the victory salute.
You carry us through difficult trials and give us on this way to reach a fair end – to the beginning of a happy life and prosperity of Ukraine, physical and spiritual.
You see our hearts are often filled with pain and anger, filled with hatred for fishponds and everything they care about. Don’t let these feelings destroy us from the inside. May anger be turned into our good deeds and power to overcome the forces of evil.
Save us from discord and divisions. Let us not lose our unity. Strengthen our will and our spirit. Don’t let us lose ourselves, the thirst for freedom, the passion for the righteous struggle, and also the hope for victory.
God, do not let us lose Ukraine, as well as faith.
Vladimir Zelenskyi
(short version of today’s Easter greeting president)

Today was Orthodox Easter in Ukraine and all across Eastern Europe, it is a big celebration with lot’s of special baking going on, all night church services and people greeting people on the streets with Christos Voskres, Christ Arose!
Pray that this will be a special Easter with people receiving the revelation that Jesus did truly raise from the dead.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Paska, or Easter Bread being baked to hand out to people in liberated towns with donated flour.

Anya (Kyiv)
Христос Воскрес!!
Christ is Risen!!
This is an Easter weekend for Ukraine, for the orthodox Christians. Growing up this weekend was very special for our family. We all got together at my grandmother’s house to wait for Sunday. My grandma always baked Easter Bread (Paska) and other baked goods, baked seasoned meat in the wood oven, colored eggs, fresh horseradish and other good food. But what I remembered the most is that we were not allowed to make noise, no fighting between the cousins, no loud screams, no loud laughter, not even running or slamming the doors. It was a holy weekend as the dough was rising and it was very sensitive to sudden sounds. I remember asking my grandma to eat the bread as it is right out of the wood oven fresh and warm, but oh no, not allowed, not until we see the sun rise on Sunday. We all got up at 3 in the morning and went to church, only than we were allowed to finally enjoy ourselves and enjoy the delicious food. We would go around to all our neighbors and other elderly people around our village taking baked goods. No one should be alone or hungry on this day.
Today I am baking the Easter bread. No one is at home, so it is SILENT. As I make the repeating rituals with the bread all you can hear is my SILENT PRAYER with my silent tears. Rise up, oh Lord, in Ukraine! Rise up, oh Lord, for Ukraine! Rise up, oh Lord,with Ukraine! Could we see the sun rise this Sunday! You are suffering with us and you will raise us up!
Our president asked if Russia would give a weekend of holy silence, but it is far from being silent in Ukraine. Today new city was attacked, a beautiful city of Odessa, air strikes, bombs, victims, destructions.
Three days ago Russian minister of defense declared new plans for Russian invasion: land path to Crimea through the east of Ukraine and land path to Transnister-Moldova through the South of Ukraine! It is official – the plans of the enemy!!!
Pray with us for no success for the aggressor and for peace and freedom for Ukraine as it is defending the land path to Europe.
“When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, SOUND A BLAST ON THE TRUMPETS. Then you will be remembered by the Lord your God and rescued from your enemies.”
Воістину Воскрес!!

Have a Blessed Easter!
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Japhin and Marie (Kyiv)
You have been reading many reports from Japhin and Marie over these last couple of months, like most of our staff they are exhausted, Marie has back pain and they need rest and recuperation. Would you pray for them and all our staff. We have just rented an apartment in Poland to bring our teams out for rest and ministry. Several teams of professional councilors and ywam counciiling teams are coming to minister to our workers and as well as to the many survivors from the liberated towns and villages. Please pray for healing, restoration for all our teams, including the border teams.

A word from Japhin and Marie…. 252We are going to Romania for a visa run.
My EU visa expires in the month of May. With no embassies offering consular services in Ukraine and airtravel halted, this means that I would not be able to leave the country.
Marie and I don’t want to leave Kyiv. We feel that going through this crucial time with the nation has bound our fate and our hearts to Ukraine like nothing before. The last two months were filled with sparks of joy and heroism in the midst of war. We can’t imagine going to bed without watching Selensky’s daily video update and waking up without checking what happened during the night.
We are going for a quick visa run and we expect to return in a week or so. Please do pray for our journey, the border crossing, and a fast visa process.

Ira (Kyiv)
As YWAM Kyiv, we want to make sure that we are giving you specific prayer requests so that you can engage meaningfully in prayer- we really need every person praying!
“Please, keep praying for Mariupol, for the occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, for the main battle in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Russians have announced possible attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, namely bridges and railroads. There were missile strikes on railroads in central Ukraine today. The Russians are also planning terrorist attacks on their territory with many casualties to blame on the Ukrainian army. Pray for all enemy plans to fail.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Anya (KYIV)
A message from the base leader of YWAM Kyiv : “DON’T FORGET ABOUT US!”
Our greatest fear right now is that the world will forget about Ukraine!
First hours, first days, first week everyone was talking about this shocking war. People would go to bed, wake up in the morning with news about Ukraine. Are we still standing!!! Is Kyiv still standing!!
This WAR is STILL SHOCKING! It is still wrong on every level and from every side. People die, get hurt, run, are still in shelters, are still fear for their lives. I understand that life goes on, life is full of events and burdens for many.
But we need the world! We need the Church! We need all prayers! Because we STILL NEED A MIRACLE !
I am grateful for all the churches that lifted us in prayers yesterday, I am grateful for all the Christians that continue to stand for us and with us. Thank you for gathering and praying for us! Thank you for fasting for us! Thank you for sending your help to Ukraine!! We see everyone and everything!!
Yesterday our team rescued 45 people from a very hot place. Yesterday our team delivered 48 food boxes. Yesterday our team delivered 400 meals. Yesterday our team went to Church that had their service in the underground shelter. Yesterday one of our team mates had to have a surgery, everything went well. Today they are taking meds to the hospitals, taking food to the needy and getting ready for a lock down.
There is a lot of action happening around Kyiv! Everyone is preparing for another wave of attack: the increase of troops from the Belarus side, and around Kyiv specifically. Please Pray!! Stand with us! Don’t leave us! It’s a cry of our hearts!

A SHIFT
There is a shift taking place in the war in Ukraine. Russian forces have moved out of Kyiv and it’s environments and have shifted their forces to the Eastern front. Many Ukrainians are moving back from the borderlands attempting to restore their homes in the western parts. Farmers are scurrying to seed their fields while they still can. All of this in the midst of greater buildup of forces coming against them but with hope of victory.

In the midst of this there has been a huge propaganda offensive unleashed on the world shifting the blame on Ukraine the U.S. and NATO. Please pray that this will not once again divide the U.S. and the world. The conspiracy theorists thread mills are once again cranking out their lies. Please Pray!

The situation in Mariupol
“At present, the environment in the city is calm, allowing us to start visiting order, returning the population and adjusting peaceful life.”⠀
Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation.

The truth…
At least 20,000 dead, 1000 trapped in a steel factory, another 100,000 in basements hiding without food and water and most of the city in ruins.

Distribution of food and necessities in newly liberated towns by our teams.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Today 335 bags found their homes. Small bag that will serve for a week or two. This is around 3 tones of food all together packed and delivered with love and care.
There are no small things if they done with love. Love makes everything greater.
No more counting days…just living every day with hope and doing what we can to help.
From Yulia

Our teams continue to travel the roads from Kyiv and Ternopil, they visit the destroyed towns and villages and they bring food, medicines and hope. Pray for them!

As we do pray for them, can we pray for some who are forgotten.
Behind the scenes of news from Ukraine, what is happening in Belarus falls out of attention. And we have a continuation of arrests, searches, courts, prison sentences – non-stop. Yesterday we came to Vitalik Chichmareva. He has been detained. Christian, musician, pastor of the “Slight of Hope” church. I have known him personally. Kind, responsive, decent, talented.
Worked as an engineer at one of the Minsk enterprises. In 2020, he was an active participant of the trade union movement for fair elections and decent working conditions.
At the moment it is unknown – where he is and the reason for his detention. Please pray for Vitalik and his family.
Psalm 118:94: “I am yours, save me; for I have sought thy commandments.” ”
Here’s his song from the band AntiVirus: https://youtu.be/qB8e1y5obqM
Let’s continue to pray for the suffering that continues in Belarus and Russia. Most of the people in these places do not support the war. They have spoken out and are paying the price. Pray for Pastors, pray for our Y family in these places.

Thank you for praying, for giving!
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Day 55 (Ukraine)
As the fighting intensifies, we’re subconsciously looking for something “big” to report, but the situation is changing every hour, and I have to remind myself that sometimes “Nothing big to report” is also God’s answer to our prayers.
Last night, as I was going to bed, with air raid warnings in all regions of Ukraine, I was wondering what the night would bring. Like in the first weeks of the war, I hesitated before opening my eyes in the morning and was relieved when I discovered that the enemy attacks weren’t successful.
Nevertheless, the war continues, and the devastation continues. Today, there was heavy artillery shelling along the whole front line (which is almost 500 km/350 miles long). They continued airstrikes on Kharkiv and Mykolaiv. According to reports from Mariupol, they bombed their main shelter (Azovstal plant) with extra heavy bombs – hundreds of civilians remain under the rubble.
But I call to God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. (Psalm 55:16-17)
In all of these reports, once again, I am looking for glimpses of hope:

Update
“Days are very busy and tiredness is growing too. If I knew that the war would be this long …I probably would still be doing what I am doing now. We are continuing evacuation from the East of Ukraine. In the last 10 days we evacuated more than 1000 people (many of them disabled) . Please pray for our drivers. I just talked to our team leader and he definitely needs a good break. We are expecting a semitruck tomorrow with food and supplies and we will be able to serve refugees and local people who are in need of food. Please continue praying for us! Thank you!”

Russian forces are attacking Ukrainian positions along the entire 300-mile (480km) front line in the eastern Donbas region.
It comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a long-awaited Russian offensive in the east had begun.
Moscow claims to have struck more than 1,000 targets overnight
Our Y family are safe at the moment. As it is getting more intense, please continue to press into God. We are so grateful for all of the intercessors.

Her sign says, “I am Nadia Molchets, I am looking for my parents, I am in Tisabech, Hungary.” Pray for the many children who are displaced, many without their parents.

The new offensive has begun on the Eastern side of Ukraine. It is expected that things will get much worse in the coming days. Can we pray for God’s intervention? Pray for lives to be spared in these many new cities that are expecting bombings. Pray for the elderly that cannot leave. Pray for those still stuck in the steel factory in Mariupol. Pray for new strength and safety for the teams still feeding and evacuating people from the villages.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

Anya (Kyiv)
Kharkiv, Donetsk, Lughansk, Mariupil, and the smaller towns and villages!! It has started!!
Please stand and pray for the East of Ukraine.
There is only one rule to this war for the Russian army: “if we can’t have it, we will destroy it.“

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Olga (Kyiv)·
In 54 days of full-scale war, Russia damaged Ukrainian infrastructure by 85 billion dollars
The total amount of Ukraine’s infrastructure damage has reached $ 84.8 billion, but the total loss reaches $ 600 billion. Over the last week, direct losses of Ukraine’s economy due to the destruction and damage of civilian and military infrastructure increased by $ 4.45 billion.

There is no water in Mykolaiv for about a month. People are collecting rain water from puddles, from rinsing and pain… (See photo)
Ukraine is my home.

The city of Mykolaev has been totally destroyed. A group of Ukrainian soldiers and some citizens have been trapped in a steel plant. They have been given 5 hours to surrender. They did not, so they are now under attack. Please Pray!

Sasha
Project “BREAD”
Sasha had to flee from Crimea in 2014, He now lives in the U.S. but returned to help his former staff mates in Ternopil He started a project while there. He personally covered the cost to begin this project. We have a unique opportunity to participate in this project.. He shares the project here:
$1000 FOR 3 TONS of FLOUR
Flour is produced at a mill in Ternopil, and then sent to the eastern part of Ukraine, the city of Chernihiv, for baking bread and free distribution to all those in need! We can participate in this process as long as there are grain reserves. In a private message I can give more details for those who want to help. The photo below shows flour that has already reached its destination. This is a drop in the ocean, but we become part of the flow of love and care for those in need! Next week for Orthodox Easter, the bakery will bake and distribute decorated Slavic Easter bread as a celebration of Easter.

This is an urgent time to increase our prayer as the Russian Army is mounting a huge force on the Eastern border. Much has been done this past week in evacuating many women and children especially from this area. This next week, many bombs are expected to fall on this region. Today, even Lviv saw bombs fall and seven people died. Pray that lives will be spared.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team