The Central Asian Consultation has become a colorful gathering of Christians from literally all ethnic groups. Uzbek mix with Karakalpak, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tadzhik, Azeri, Turkmen, Tatar and others.

The act of consecration by Pope Francis will include this prayer: "O Mother, hear our prayer. Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war. Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world".

Who am I inclined to pray for, and who do I tend to dismiss? Where do I draw my lines? And do my lines reflect the heart of God?

How can we make sure that aid will be useful for Ukrainian refugees? Miqueas Forster of GAiN Spain answers this and other questions.

“Church members and friends have opened their houses, we cook for them, take care of the medicines, organise their trips”, says a Christian worker in Hungary. In Romania, “churches work together to be more efficient”.

Vitaly Vlasenko, a pastor in Moscow, in an open letter: “As a citizen, I apologize to all those who have suffered, lost loved ones and relatives, or lost their place of residence”.

Ukrainian evangelicals between political and missional responsibilities.

If Jesus' disciples in the comfort of the West simply go on living while complaining about how much more it costs to go out for a nice dinner, we are not obeying the way of Jesus.

Two million people have already fled Ukraine. Many are unaccompanied children who will suffer “a detrimental psychological impact”, Christian NGOs warn.

Interview with Ruslan Maliuta, who serves with OneHope and WEA and was global facilitator for World Without Orphans, one week after the beginning of the Russian army's attack on the country. Recorded: 4 March 2022.

Russian historian Andrey Zubov: “Putin says ‘Russia wants this’ or ‘Russia demands that’. No, it’s Putin and the Kremlin making demands — not Russia or Russians”.

Andrey Tyschchenko is the pastor of an evangelical church in Kharkiv, one of the cities hardest hit by the Russian attack. He is now a refugee in Poland with his family. From there, he organises help to be sent into Ukraine.

With thousands of families internally displaced and over one million refugees leaving Ukraine, how are families, and especially children, coping? How can the church take action? We spoke to Ruslan Maliuta, who serves with OneHope and WEA and was global facilitator for World Without Orphans, one week after the beginning of the Russian army's attack on the country. Recorded: 4 March 2022.

“We need to repent for what we have done, first to God and then to the people of Ukraine”, pastors write in an open letter. Russian authorities impose new restrictions on freedom of speech.

In Russia, evangelical Christians are asking Vladimir Putin to seek a negotiation to “find a peaceful solution”.

Putin’s messianic pretensions as saviour of Russian civilisation have deep religious and historical roots. Yet our western secular world tends to filter out religion and pre-Enlightenment history as irrelevant.

Evangelicals in Kyiv call to trust in God and defend the country. Churches are offering shelter to refugees. Christian leaders in Moscow express their oposition to war. “Fear paralyses, prayer, trust in God, caring for your neighbor - gives strength”.

European Evangelical Alliance prays for “those who have the power to save lives”. Russian Evangelical Alliance asks Putin to choose “peacemaking initiatives”. Christian radio in Odessa expects to be shut down.

Putin sends troops into the Ukrainian territory after the Russian parliament recognises the ‘oblasts’ of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent territories. Europe responds with financial sanctions. Evangelicals pray for wisdom for the next days.

Trans World Radio has a national partner in Ukraine and a ministry affiliation in Russia. Extra attention is now paid to themes such as forgiveness, dealing with trials and helping others in need.

The team of New Life Christian radio remains on standby to quickly re-locate if Russia invades.

Artsakh has approached the Peace and Reconciliation Network of the WEA that will lead to extensive trainings in trauma therapy both on the territory of Artsakh as well as in Armenia.

As tensions grow in the area, evangelicals continue to “trust in God, who is always with us. And we believe that our people will not give up”, says a pastor in Kharkiv.

A documentary about FC Barcelona futsal player Leandro 'Esquerdinha': "The Lord has changed my mind: it wasn't just my dream since I was a child, God wanted something more from me".

A long-standing religious tension stretching back many centuries has contributed significantly to the current Russian build-up, largely lost on the western secularist mind.