From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 407):
But he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
Psalm 107:41
New York is one of the towns shelled daily by the Russian army. Yes, New York. I bet the world would go insane if they saw this headline in the media. However, New York is a small town in the Donetsk region, less than an hour away from Bakhmut.
New York was founded in 1892 by German Mennonite settlers invited by the Russian Empire to develop agriculture in the region. During the Soviet era, the town was renamed, but it received its historical name back two years ago. And today, when the town is shelled daily, some people still refuse to evacuate. “Seize the day, they say? No, you seize every minute here because you never know when they will start shelling again,” said one of the New York residents.
Hundreds of towns, thousands of people, endless destruction… Why?!
I mean, my mind can come up with political and metaphysical explanations for the things going on on the front lines, but my heart still refuses to accept that people can be so wicked.
Please, pray for Bakhmut. Our defenders have been doing the impossible for the long nine months, so we keep trusting the Lord. The fighting there is extremely intense, and the enemy keeps restocking its positions with cannon fodder. They have an overwhelming advantage in numbers and no regard for their own, which is why the Russian forces are slowly advancing into the destroyed city. Bakhmut is a strategic location for many reasons. For one, its fall would bring the Russian threat closer to Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, and it would most definitely lead to the utter destruction of smaller towns (such as Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka) on the way to these cities as well as make other towns (such as New York) more vulnerable.
Voice of Ukraine 