As Putin’s army continues to lay siege to Ukraine, we wonder what his end game is. It turns out that his strategies to take down Ukrainian cities aren’t any different than what he has done to Chechnya.
He has used the same strategy to take out Chechnya. Putin is using missiles and rockets to destroy towns and cities. He wants to wipe out the towns and cities, creating a humanitarian disaster in the process, so that he can force the Ukrainian government to bow down under his rule.
I remember when I was in Chechnya with a humanitarian mission I witnessed that almost every building was destroyed.
But amidst the rubble and wrecked buildings of the city, I saw children digging around ruins to retrieve anything they could find. They went off looking for food while others searched for salvageable items to sell or use within the household, like old wooden beams or scrap metal.
What struck me most, however, was that despite this tragic backdrop to their everyday lives unhappy children are fairly resilient and manage to enjoy themselves regardless.
Now I see that this war in Ukraine made the same images like those seen in Chechnya, such as children under such stress and seemingly with no childhood left by all of the horrors, and again, it has shaken me to my core.
I don’t know how anyone could do something like that; it’s beyond disgusting and disturbing. How can adults let this happen?
The most painful thing during the war is when a child dies. Last night, Putin’s army bombarded the city of Mariupol in an attempt to erase it off the map. They bombed the residential buildings. One house, in particular, was where a young 11-year old gymnast by the name of Katerina Dasenko lived.
The girl’s house was targeted by heavy artillery rounds and the building collapsed instantly. The rescuers found her small body among the rubble.
No matter what, I know there are times life seems cruel and unfair, but I know with utmost confidence that there is a greater power instated in the world who stands alongside those of us who have suffered under the weight of suffering in this world. A power – a presence – that we call God. I know God stands with his people in times of pain and suffering. His heart breaks right alongside them as they suffer the hardships of this world.
Help and Hope,
Your Brother in the Lord,
Pastor Vitali Yuchkovski
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