From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 335):
Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help!
Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers!
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation!”
Psalm 35:1-3
We praise God for His faithfulness. Today, Germany finally agreed to permit to send its Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Poland, Finland, Netherlands, and Spain had mentioned their plans to send the Leopard tanks in their possession to Ukraine. The US administration is also moving closer to sending M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.
Also, today Switzerland, known for its neutrality in conflicts, took a crucial step toward allowing others to re-export armaments produced in the country to Ukraine under certain conditions. The defense committee of the Swiss parliament’s lower house has adopted a motion; now, the next step would be for the full parliament to decide.
These reports give us hope, but they also bring some mixed feelings. More weapons mean a better-prepared army and more lives spared. It also means that the west is gradually getting rid of fear before the “second best army in the world” (as Russians would arrogantly claim). At the same time, it means that the western governments understand the severity of the situation and are highly concerned about the upcoming Russian attack. This makes us pray even more fervently.
If you are still wondering how determined Ukrainians are to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, here is a good example. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, inherited US$1 million from a Ukrainian American in the United States. In turn, he donated all the money to the Ukrainian army (https://bit.ly/3R3t2xO). No money can remedy if we lose our country now.
As world leaders keep discussing why they should support Ukraine, US historian Timothy Snyder lists 15 reasons the world needs Ukraine to win. Here are some of them (the full list is found here – https://bit.ly/3R29aLE):
- To halt atrocity. Russia’s occupation is genocidal.
- To preserve the international legal order. Its basis is that one country may not invade another and annex its territory, as Russia seeks to do.
- To give the rule of law a chance in Russia. So long as Russia fights imperial wars, it is trapped in repressive domestic politics. Coming generations of Russians could live better and freer lives, but only if Russia loses this war.
- To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. Ukraine gave up nuclear weapons. Russia, a nuclear power, then invaded. If Ukraine loses, countries that can build nuclear weapons will feel that they need to do so to protect themselves.
- To affirm the value of freedom. Even as they have every reason to define freedom as against something — Russian occupation –Ukrainians remind us that freedom is actually for something, the right to be the people they wish to be in the future they can help shape.
Today’s picture – Armored vehicles destroyed during the fighting between Ukrainian and Russian armed forces stand on the right bank of the frozen Siverskiy-Donets river in the recently liberated village of Bogorodychne, Ukraine. Photo by Evgeny Maloletka.
Voice of Ukraine 