Ukrainian evangelicals between political and missional responsibilities.

“Almost every church in Moldova is doing something, there is pain not fear”, says a Christian worker in Moldova. A Finnish journalist: “We have 1,300 km of common border, battles with Russia are deep in our nation’s memory”.

Those who suffer most in conflict zones are children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

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.

Over 2.3 million have left Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion two weeks ago. Evangelical congregations on the other side of the continent connect to welcome families fleeing the war.

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.

An evangelical journalist living in Kyiv explains how they are experiencing the invasion. The biggest help, she says, is "prayer" and "not be silent" about what they are suffering.

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

(UPDATED) Evangelical platforms in Europe offer channels to support ministries in Ukraine and the bordering countries receiving refugees.

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.

Hundreds of thousands protest in major European cities against Russia’s invasion. All EU countries agree receiving asylum seekers for at least three years.

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.

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

The new 'progressive Christianity', which is in reality a regression to a pagan Gnosticism which uses the words of Christianity, also has other characteristics apart from the misuse of language.

In Ukraine, prayer gatherings multiply in the face of “stress and fear”. In Russia, evangelical leaders call for mediation.