Ukraine, Russia, and Missions amid a Geopolitical Showdown.

This is a blog that I wanted to write because of some big things that have been happening in the news lately. As you may know, my squad and I recently served in Ukraine- with my team ministering in the city of Odesa. We are no longer there, but this blog post discusses our time in Ukraine with regards to the impending conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

First- some history regarding Russia and Ukraine. Historically, Ukraine was part of Polish and Russian territory until the Russian Empire conquered it by the end of the 1700s. Catherine the Great established Odesa in this time period. Yet as the Russian Revolution took place in the early 20th century, Ukraine aspired for independence. However, the newly established Soviet Union conquered the country and forced a brutal starvation period on the Ukrainian people known as Holodomor. It was considered by many to be an act of genocide. After the Soviet Union broke up, Ukraine became an independent country in Eastern Europe.

The Ukrainian government was Russian leaning for a while, but multiple grassroots movements sought to align the country with the EU and Western Europe. These included the Orange Revolution and the Euromaidan Protests. In early 2014, the protests forced Russian leaning president Yanukovych to resign, and a new government was set up. Russia took advantage of this and seized the Ukrainian territory of Crimea. In addition, Russian backed rebels launched a war in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine. This war is stalemated as of now, but it has resulted in tens of thousands of lives lost.

Over the past year, Russia has sent around 100,000 troops close to the Ukrainian border, sparking fears of an invasion. It has especially made headlines recently because the US and Europe are in the process of responding to this threat. A significant amount of sentiment in the Ukrainian people is the desire to govern independently and to choose their own path- even if it includes aligning with the West. I have also seen this play out while in the country recently- especially as I learned that many Ukranians near the border prefer speaking the Ukrainian language instead of the Russian one. As tensions have continued to escalate, the West has proposed a series of sanctions against Russia, and is preparing to back Ukraine by supplying weapons if it is dragged into a war with Russia. Multiple talks have commenced over this situation- notably ones with President Biden, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and President Putin of Russia. Some of these talks took place while I was in Ukraine.

A big question is this: “Why is this crisis happening?” A big answer is that both the US and Russia have different views. The US sees Ukraine as an independent country with the right to choose their own path (in this case potentially joining the NATO security alliance and the EU in the future). Russia sees Ukraine as land that was once part of its empire, and they want to draw Ukraine back into its sphere of influence. Russia also has a history of establishing Russian aligned “buffer states” on its western flank to separate it from the West. This was what the Soviet Union did during the Cold War era. Because of this, Ukraine joining NATO conflicts with its interests of creating Russian- aligned states on its borders. As I write this blog, it is very unclear as to how this crisis will play out, but the Ukrainian military is preparing for a potential war with Russia. 

A little info regarding missions in Russia. Russia was once part of the Soviet Union- where religion was tightly controlled and restricted. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia opened itself up in the 1990s. Many missionaries came into the country and established Bible institutes. A spiritual revival took hold in Russia. Recently, especially under president Putin, it has been more difficult to be able to be a missionary in Russia. A set of laws were passed in 2016 with which Russia monitors communication, bans evangelism, bans house churches, and persecutes Christian religious expression that is not Orthodox. The country’s government has become much more authoritarian in recent years. Yet there are a significant number of unreached people groups in Russia. Because Russia is a huge country, there are numerous villages in places like Siberia that have yet to hear the Gospel. Russia is also home to a lot of Islamic areas, particularly in its North Caucasus region. Please continue to pray over this- and for the Russian church to remain steadfast in these times. 

We walk up the staircase and enter the beautiful European city of Odesa. Restaurants bustle about as people walk the busy streets. Artists sell their work near the big Orthodox church, and ballerinas perform at the famous Opera House. Underground guides take people into the creepy passages of the Odesa Catacombs. We got to see a ballet and walk the Catacombs together as a team during our month there; these were special moments together. The city’s Jewish community celebrated Hanukkah, and we got to meet a sweet Muslim lady while eating lunch at one of the city’s outdoor eateries. Numerous stands sell a delicious drink called mulled wine, and Christmas lights light up the city. A metal heart with hundreds of “love locks” from couples rises up at one end of a long walking bridge. We took the “190” bus many times to enjoy the city, take in the sights, and walk in its many streets. And at the end of our month, our ministry hosts drove us to the train station at downtown Odesa before hugging us in a heartfelt goodbye as we began our travels to the Middle East.

Odesa is not the only place being affected by this conflict. In Ukraine, 5 World Race teams served  throughout the country. 3 of them were in Western Ukraine. From what I have heard, people over there are preparing for the potential conflict with Russia. Some Christians are evaluating the possibility of taking in displaced Ukranians from the eastern part of the country. Meanwhile, another team served in a city called Dnipro in Eastern Ukraine. I keep in touch with their contact, and he told me from visiting the war front in Donbas that things are challenging there. There is a significant shortage of medicine and food in the nearby villages, and many of the buildings have suffered damage from the Donbas conflict. 

As we spent the month in Ukraine, we saw that the Ukrainian people want one important thing: peace. Most of them do not want to fight a war or see their country caught in a geopolitical showdown. We ministered with people who have been carefully building connections over the years and pouring their hearts into loving children / families affected by autism. We visited children in the orphanage, went wild in the boys / girls clubs, and handed out food bags to families in the countryside. As the crisis in Ukraine plays out on the world stage, these are the people that I am thinking about. How will their futures be shaped by all this? What about the children who are very young and do not know what is happening around them? Readers, I encourage you to pray into Ukraine- and those who are faithfully ministering there. This will especially be important in the coming months. The landscape is changing dramatically, but God’s Kingdom and His will are unstoppable. May He be glorified amid the uncertainty of the present situation. And may His Kingdom shine as a light in the darkness as the country enters a new phase.

“I lift my eyes to the mountains- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.” Psalm 121: 1-2 (NIV)