Roman Sheremeta

Never again.

That is the phrase that the world has adopted after the defeat of the Nazi Germany. It was supposed to symbolize that the atrocities committed by Hitler would never be repeated in our lifetime.

And yet today, this is exactly what we see in Ukraine again, again, and again. Just today, as I was reading local news from Ukraine, the headlines came to my attention.

Prepare for disruption in food supplies. Russia destroyed the major warehouse of food in Odessa region overnight.

Clear Water, a company that produces water, has suspended production and deliveries of water following a Russian attack on the Kiev region.

Here’s another one.

Following Russian strikes, store shelves in Kiev are beginning to empty, and some products are already becoming difficult to find. The biggest disruptions are affecting meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, and other goods.

Now, does that sound like a war to you?

To me, it sounds like terrorism or even genocide. And so we, as a free world, we need to stand with Ukraine today like never before. Because the phrase never again will be an empty reminder that even after the atrocities of Hitler, we have learned nothing.

HATE

Yesterday morning there was a special event in a village called Natalyne in the Kharkiv region. The event was a race, a memorial run in honor of soldiers who had died in the war. It was called “I Honor the Warriors, I Run for the Heroes of Ukraine.” In the middle of the run, the russians attacked with an Iskander ballistic missile. Three people were killed and others were injured.

I don’t think the russians realize the incredible amount of hate that they are creating in Ukraine. Between the bombing of hospitals, families, churches, people in grocery stores, train stations and their homes, and the torture and brutality against soldiers, women, girls, and religious leaders, the russians are creating an environment where if there is any kind of forgiveness, peace, or reconciliation, it will not be for decades if not centuries.

As Christians we can talk all day about what is right and wrong, and about the meaning and morality of hate. And I am not advocating that Ukrainians should hate the russians. I am just saying that Ukrainians will never trust or tolerate russians in any way in the future.

When you see Ukrainian athletes refuse to shake hands with russian athletes, or see Ukrainians pull away from russians abroad, learn more before you judge. As we live and serve here in these difficult years, it is hard to overestimate the amount of daily pain that is being inflicted by all of the attacks.

And when people in America call for peace in this war, it is clear that they have no idea what is going on. “Why can’t Ukrainians and russians just get along and live in peace!”, people say. That kind of statement is like a stab in the chest for Ukrainians. It shows a complete ignorance of what is happening here.

If you care about what is happening here, please contact your representatives and ask them to help Ukraine. The USA has at the best of times heard cries for help and acted to prevent injustice. World War 2 is an example of that. But too many times in the past the USA has watched death and destruction abroad happen and done nothing. One can only think of Rwanda if not other situations.

Please pray and advocate for Ukraine.

Author: Mark McDonnel, US Missionary to Ukraine and Professor at Talbot School of Theology

“I do not take pleasure in killing. I see it as a job that cleanses Ukraine of russians, like Colorado potato beetles.”

That is how Tetiana Khimion, forty-seven years old, callsign Tango, describes her work. Before the full-scale invasion she was a ballroom dance coach.

She started dancing at seven. In 2002 she opened her own studio in Sloviansk and called it Four Step. She was still demonstrating cartwheels and splits to her students eight months pregnant, and she was back at the studio five days after giving birth. That detail tells you most of what you need to know about her before any of the rest of it happened.

Then russia invaded, and Tetiana enlisted without telling her husband. When her commander asked what she wanted to do, she answered immediately: sniper. She had held a rifle for perhaps ten or fifteen minutes in her life.

Read the full story of this Ukrianian Hero:

https://romansheremeta.substack.com/p/heroes-of-ukraine-tetiana-khimion