Pray for Ukraine

Since the 13th century, Ukraine has been ruled by the Mongols, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Ottoman, Austrian, and Russian Empires. After World War I and the fall of the Russian Empire, Ukraine’s fertile “black soil” fell into the hands of the Soviet Union. Although Ukraine became the Soviet Union’s agricultural center, its government treated Ukrainians harshly. An engineered famine known as the Holodomor killed an estimated 5 million Ukrainians, and people were forbidden from practicing their culture and speaking the Ukrainian language. Then, in 1991, Ukrainians declared independence and established a lasting, separate nation for the first time in 800 years. Despite the years of oppression, they reclaimed their Ukrainian identity, removing Soviet monuments from their cities and speaking Ukrainian again in their streets. In the years that followed, their freedom allowed them to build up one of the largest economies in Eastern Europe.

But Ukraine’s troubles with foreign powers have not stopped. In 2014, Russia took control of Crimea and started a conflict in Ukraine’s eastern regions. In February 2022, Russia launched an invasion into Ukraine and started a full-scale war, leaving deep scars across the country. Millions have been displaced from their homes, death has broken thousands of families, and people struggle to meet basic needs. Years of conflict have filled life with deep stress and overwhelming hopelessness. Portions of the population continue to suffer from HIV/AIDS, while alcoholism, drug abuse, crime, and prostitution trap the most vulnerable, including orphans. The nation also battles lingering ghosts of its Soviet past: corrupt business leaders continue to exert influence over the government.

Soviet authorities forced many religious groups, including the popular Orthodox Church, into hiding, but after Ukraine’s independence, thousands of new Christian congregations emerged. The Church’s rapid growth since 1991 has created a great need for spiritual leaders, and the war has made this need even greater as pastors and their families continue to be displaced. While the war has caused much suffering, it has also strengthened the Church. Overpowering difficulties have led congregations to rely on the hope of the Gospel — a hope that has overcome doctrinal disagreements that used to divide churches. The war has also provided a unique opportunity for believers to provide for those in need. Through food and shelter, Ukrainians are learning from believers about the ultimate hope they can find in Jesus.