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

Sharyn (Leadership Team Ternopil)
This year our family, like so many others in Eastern Europe, comes into the season of Easter as a country at war. And it’s the first time that I have truly experienced in such a way the horror of humanity and the hope of humanity with a impact that I still have not found words to describe.
The wounds of war, these wounds that we carry, are so overwhelming that it’s hard to know even how to pray, where to start in the healing process, if Ukraine and the world will ever recover. We look for hope to sprout, and see it ultimately in the overall picture of our faith as Christians, but in the day to day at times it feels that hope sprouts only to be smothered by the agony and awful of war crimes against the very humanity of the Ukrainian people.
Hope and Horror. It’s the dichotomy of this awful war, and it’s the dichotomy of the cross.
Evil has struck such a blow to my world, and yet at the same time I am overwhelmed each day by the goodness of God I see in people pouring out whatever they can to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Hope comes with funds donated from an isolated church in the Jungles of New Guinea. Hope comes from a brother in Singapore, churches in Korea, drivers from all over Europe who bring in humanitarian aid and bring out refugees.
Hope comes from small towns and villages, the Amish community, chocolate chip cookies made for refugees, and the simple act of Polish mothers leaving their baby buggies at their local train stations.
And hope comes from the spirit and the strength of the Ukrainian people who are fighting at this very moment for their freedom and liberty.
Isn’t this the very message of Easter? Horror and Hope. The pinnacle moment of evil being completely dismantled by a empty tomb.
Easter is the darkest moment of human history, being rescued and redeemed in this bright brilliant moment of hope through the resurrection power of a empty tomb.
Horror and Hope – It’s the story of humanity.
Tragedy and Trauma undone by the power of God to make beauty out of ashes. To bring life out of death.
He has risen!! He has risen indeed!

Here is a need on the U.S. border where many Ukrainians have come to seek asylum.
Jill Bills
We need a consistent flow of cars to transport Ukrainians to: San Diego airport, homes for sleeping for the night or a few nights, drop offs at church hubs.
It’s a 24/7 need. Please message Wayne Little if you can help.

Please pray for Mariupol today, many people and Ukrainian soldiers are trapped in the city and they have been given an ultimatum to surrender or die. At this time they are choosing to die. Please pray for this situation. Pray for the many hundreds that are still stranded in basements across this city. Pray for a miracle!

Pray for the hope of Easter to fill the hearts of people in Ukraine today.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team

The picture of the day is from Borodyanka (Kyiv region). Over 14,000 Ukrainians have volunteered to join restoration works in the liberated towns in Kyiv region.

50 days of war
Over 1,540 missiles launched at Ukraine
5,794 air raid alerts (an average of 118 alerts a day)
A total of over 700 hours (the equivalent of 30 days) that Ukrainians had to spend in bomb shelters
197 children killed (and 351 wounded)

A poem written by a teen saying goodbye to his piano
Dear Piano,
I’m Sorry, but this is my goodbye, at least for now.
I am really far away from you, at least for now.
I am starting to forget how to play that melody
that you like me to play, at least for now.
I am starting to forget this feeling
in my fingers to play you, at least for now,
but I will never forget the life that you gave me,
at least never in my life

Marie (Kyiv)
We all remember the girls of Mariupol.
The photos of pregnant girls in the bombed maternity ward. It became a symbol of this cruel war – a war that aims at destroying innocent lives before they even get to see the light of the day.
As helpless as we may feel in the face of this horror, there are things we can do. Our colleagues from YWAM Hainichen sent out a call for donations. People in Germany, moved by the fate of Ukrainian mothers, generously gave. Today, we were able to bless Kyiv’s maternity ward with seven cribs and two bathtubs for newborns.
The nurses shared with us that they receive many pregnant women from the hot spots in Kharkiv and Mariupol. They have lost everything and lack any basic feeling of safety. Their children are born in the midst of trauma and loss.
Please join my prayer today: God our Father, these are your children. Their lives are in your hand. Let each bed be a seed of hope. That not all is lost. There is hope. There is a future. Would they remember that every night they put their children to bed.
Amen.

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

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.”
Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien

As teams continue to comb the areas that have been bombed unrelentlessly these past weeks and try to evacuate the areas that are in the way of a new invasion, they have had the opportunity to show these acts of kindness and love.

In a meeting today with staff and workers from across Ukraine, Andrei from Mariuple shared how his young staff who have had to flee the city are now active in helping to feed and rescue people. This is a different kind of battle fought with love. Showing kindess in the midst of hatred.

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of Lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”
Deuteronomy 10:17‭-‬18‬‬

Pray for this huge undertaking going on right now in the Eastern and southern parts of the country. It is dangerous and thousands still need to be evacuated.

In the meantime,
1 million Ukrainians who left Ukraine after the start of the full-scale invasion of Russia, returned.
Andriy Demchenko, the spokesman of the State Border Service, announced this at a briefing on April 12.

120,000 gospels in Ukrainian are being printed in Latvia to distribute to Ukrainians who are very open to the gospel at this time. This is thanks to a group in Korea who have a vision to print a million copies for this need and their part in ending Bible poverty.

Please continue to pray for this crucial time of transition of the front from Kyiv to the East and South of Ukraine. Today sirens blared across the whole of the country bringing fear of new attacks to come.

Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team