London: By Hannah Chowdhry and Juliet ChowdhryRead this account and others with working videos and more images (here)

British Asian Christian Association has been providing a regular gift to a church in Ukraine since the outbreak of war with Russia on 24th February 2022 (click here).

We also sponsored work with Ukrainian asylum seekers in Moldova (click here).

In July we shared details of how Pastor Vasilev was running daily services to reach souls, during unceasing war in Ukraine (click here)

We wrote last month explaining our desire to increase our effort in Ukraine to help with the needs for clothes, heating and other support (click here). 

Russian forces are intent on making life as uncomfortable as possible for citizens who have survived the war and are targeting of energy infrastructure in Ukraine.

Pastor Vasilev who leads our partner group has been reaching out to people in Kherson who are feeling the worst of Russian attacks.  We would like to support his efforts as we reach shattered families in desperate need of help.

When Ukrainian forces seized control of the port city of Kherson on November 11th 2022, it was heralded as a turning point for the war.  Many military strategists believed that the battle for Kherson would be crucial to ending the war.

However, the Russian retreat was to surrounding cities on the outskirts of Kherson.  From there the Russian military have been shelling the city in an attack that is described as the worst that the people of Kherson have experienced since the start of the war.  Worse still before leaving Kherson they looted the city, destroyed all power infrastructure and took as much food resource with them as they could.  Read more (here)

19 people have been killed in the recent bombardment of the city  and 39 people were seriously injured. The city was without energy until last week and people braved the cold and their hunger stoically, desperate not to give in to the Russian attrition.

Pastor Vasilev our contact in Odessa sent us a whatsapp message on 29th November 2022, he wrote:

 

“Good morning… I’m staying in contact with a Christian man in Kherson. 

 

“I’ve known him for three years. 

 

“They’ve been there without electricity, heating and water for three weeks being regularly bombed by the Russian army.

 

“So could we help them too?”

 

We have had a few months of less than usual donations so we had asked Pastor Vasilev to wait for this appeal to go out.

 

Pastor Vasilev, sent a message 2 hours later, he wrote:

 

“Good evening.

 

“I talked to the Christian man in de-occupied Kherson city again.

 

“Since many people have left, there are about 20 people in their church now.

 

“Some have savings others don’t have anything.

 

“Although he is in trouble himself (I sent him some money to survive), he says he has a great desire to help those who are in a  more desperate situation.

 

“He would gladly arrange buying food in bulk, making food bags, and then he would go and look for those who don’t even have bread and can’t go outside being old or sick and help them.”

 

Pastor Vasilev has informed us that, fortunately one of the men attending the church in Kherson has a vehicle so they are able to coordinate food distribution to other needy people in the area.

 

Moved by their plight Pastor Vasilev has offered to split his church donation. He wrote:

 

“Here’s what I think.

 

“We have about ten food bags left.

 

“So we could share with them the grant you’ll send us or we could send him the whole sum.

 

“In any case this money will serve the Lord as it will provide food for the needy here or there.”

 

"Many homes in the country are without electricity or have it intermittently and families will not be able to heat what is left of their homes.

 

"This is a humanitarian crises that shows no sign of dissipating - if anything the Russian army continues to target energy infrastructure.

 

"Ukrainians have made a historic decision to celebrate Christmas using the Gregorian calendar and not the Julian calendar of their past.

 

"So most of the west will be celebrating Christ's birth at the same time.

 

"I hope this leads people to be think about how different their Christmas will be to that in Ukraine and that it leads to an overflowing of love and generosity.

 

"It breaks my heart when I think of how many people are suffering in this war.

 

"May God still the angered hearts on both sides, so that peace can be restored."

 

Pastor Vasilev has continued his Church services even though a Russian attack on Wednesday 23rd November, meant that the whole of Ukraine was without electricity for a week. Pastor Vasilev explained what happened in these two voice recordings: