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”.

Watch the speech of Finnish Christian politician Päivi Räsänen at the General Assembly of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance, 19 February 2022. "We are especially called to stand firm in those parts of the Scriptures that contradict the spirit of the time".

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.

The company failed to “reasonably accommodate the employee’s sincerely held religious beliefs” and will pay 44,000€, as well as train its managers on religious discrimination.

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.

“People know so little of the Bible that discipleship starts much further down the line”, says James Ros, leader of the church planting movement #EastGermanyBelieves. 

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

The 3-hour online class “will consider some simple biblical insights to help us grow spiritually in a straightforward, practical, and Jesus-focused way”.

Churches can become centres of excellence for the creative use of AI technology to support everyone, including disabled people, both in church and elsewhere.

The annual conference in Wisła brings together  hundreds of evangelical leaders for training, encouragement, networking and resources.

Re-Forma’s response to the crisis of poorly-equipped church leadership. An article by  Manfred Waldemar Kohl.