Civilians in Ukraine Caught in the Middle as Ceasefire Falters, But Many Respond to the Gospel

Christian Aid Missionary : Aug 27, 2015
Gospel Herald

"All these people hear the testimony of Jesus Christ," he said. "They are offered the opportunity to repeat a prayer of repentance. According to the pastors, no one refuses to repent."

Missionaries native to Ukraine are risking their lives to bring life-saving aid to civilians as violations of a cease-fire add to the nearly 7,000 people who have perished. (Photo: Christian Aid Mission)

A cease-fire signed in February between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces has been crumbling fast in the past week as troops on both sides have reported casualties. The February agreement followed the break-down of a prior cease-fire signed in September 2014. The United Nations estimates more than 6,800 people, both civilians and troops, have been killed since April 2014, with 17,100 wounded.

Untold misery continues to unfold in a conflict little understood in the West. Preceding the battles was the collapse in February 2014 of the Ukrainian government as protests mounted. Demonstrators raged at the government's decision, under pressure from Russia, to forego a trade pact that would have drawn Ukraine closer to the European Union. Protestors were further incensed at the subsequent acceptance of a major loan from Russia.

Amid the unrest, Russia on March 18, 2014 annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea. At the same time, pro-Russian demonstrations in eastern Ukraine escalated into an armed insurgency, and an indeterminate number of Russian paramilitaries have since joined the Russian citizens in eastern Ukraine who launched the rebellion.

Since the fighting in eastern Ukraine started last year, an estimated 1.4 million people have been forced to flee their homes. Starvation and disease took the lives of many who fled bullets and bombs, according to a Ukraine-born, Christian leader overseeing organizations ministering in the conflict zones.

"Those too frightened to escape the war-ravaged towns and villages because they believed they couldn't make it past the bullets, artillery, and bomb explosions sought shelter in the basements of homes and apartment buildings," he said. "Their 'refuge' had no food or water, no medicine, no heat during the cold Ukrainian winter, and no sanitary facilities."

In combat areas in eastern Ukraine, heavy artillery has been used in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in spite of the cease-fire signed in the Belarus capital of Minsk. As many as 400 pro-Russian separatists attacked Ukrainian forces over the weekend (Aug. 8-9) with the aid of 10 tanks and 10 armored personnel carriers, according to a government spokesman. (Photo: AFP/CNN)

Many stores are closed, making it difficult to buy staple items such as bread, and travel is dangerous. The indigenous missionaries that Christian Aid Mission assists said they have the know-how and contacts to overcome the obstacles of war to get aid to people.

"Every week we send out food parcels and clothing to different locations in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions where people are unable to leave the territory," a local ministry director said. "Food delivery capability is very limited, as there are only seven corridors through which humanitarian supplies may be delivered. Many people are in need of food."

The ministry has established mobile kitchens in tents where people are fed. Three such tents are in place in Donetsk, two in Lugansk, and one each in Makiyevka, Krasnodon, Rubizhne, and Yenakievo. Each day, up to 1,000 people receive food, the ministry director said.

"All these people hear the testimony of Jesus Christ," he said. "They are offered the opportunity to repeat a prayer of repentance. According to the pastors, no one refuses to repent."

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