News from Kyiv
Its 9:00 p.m and it looks like it is gonna be a tough night. Maybe even the toughest yet.
We hear a lot of blasts in the city. They are big enough to shake our building. We got used to the small ones but the big ones make us uneasy.
Please continue to hold Ukraine in your prayers.
These are the cities under heated attacks right now.
- Kyiv region,
- Kharkiv region – under persistent attacks!
- Mariupol surrounded, cut off electricity, heating, food supplies – there is a humanitarian crisis.
- Kherson
- Melitopil
- Luhansk
- Donetsk,
- Crimea – occupied by Russian military.
- In Melitopil “new Mayor” put by Russian military encourages massive protesting groups to “stop committing extremes acts and get used to new
normal” - May Your Kingdom Come, may Your Will be Done!!
SEND international posted 11 ways to pray for Ukraine and we invite you to pray through the first 5 with us today, we will post the next 6 tomorrow. So here they are:
- Ask God to redeem this situation by drawing many people to Himself. May Ukrainians discover that Jesus is the only true source of peace, safety, comfort, truth and freedom
- For evacuation and humanitarian aid around cities under attack in Ukraine. Many people in these cities are without heat and electricity.
- For many churches that opened their doors to neighbors offering food and shelter.
- For protection of many kids and parents who will spend another night in bomb shelters, metro stations or on the roads to safer places and all brave volunteers risking their lives to evacuate people.
- For logistics of getting funds and humanitarian aid to churches and refugee camps so they continue to have food, medicine and other supplies.
As we are all aware, this war not only affects Ukaine, but the whole world. Here is a report from a missionary family in a neighboring country in Central Asia:
With the invasion of Ukraine, the world has completely been turned upside down. Here, many locals are worrying about the fall of the ruble and the rise in prices. Most families have at least one family member working in Russia, but they are now sending back far less money than before for families to live on. And with less work in Russia, many are returning home … to a place where work is already scarce. They’re not the only ones coming here. A local news channel interviewed a Russian woman who had recently fled with her daughter. Her friend’s house had been raided and she had been taken to prison for 15 years for having opposed the war. A few local airlines still fly to and from Russia, so she came to our city. Just today (Saturday, March 12), We saw at the local market a family who were clearly not from here but were speaking Russian. When we asked the vegetable seller about them, he said they were Russians who were running away from Russia because they’re afraid of their own government. We do indeed live in an upside-down world when Russians start escaping to Central Asia! Let’s continue to pray peace over Ukraine and for the fighting to cease.
Thank you for your continued prayer for Ukraine and Russia
Al Akimoff and the Slavic Ministries Team