From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 418):
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side as my helper;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
Psalm 118:6-7
In an interview that came out today, former mercenaries of the Wagner Group confess to numerous war crimes,
“We were moving and killing everyone. There were women, men, pensioners, children… A girl was 5–6 years old. She was screaming, and I shot her down.” They shot teenagers over the age of 15 just because they “couldn’t be considered peaceful civilians.”
They admitted to the shooting of more than 20 Ukrainian children and teenagers and the blowing up of a pit with more than 50 wounded POWs and those who refused to carry out orders to kill Ukrainians. They committed mass murder of civilians and executed prisoners of war.
I have no words. Does the world see this? Oh, yes, it does. NATO is rapidly changing its military strategy. Before, the idea was that if Russia invaded, the invaded NATO country would need to hold on until the aid came (which may take weeks, if not months). However, having seen what the Russian army is capable of in the occupied territories, NATO switched to the decision to actively defend its borders to prevent the occupation of its member states.
I am glad about this change, as the Baltic countries kept talking about it for over a year. Ukraine is the largest country in Europe, and Russia managed to occupy 25% of its territory (since 2014), almost equal to the summarized area of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. I am glad that NATO is slowly gaining an understanding that Russia will not stop until it is stopped, and if Ukraine falls, other European countries will suffer next.
Since 2014, when active combat zone was limited to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, it was easy to assume that the war was far away and had nothing to do with you. On February 24, 2022, this faulty mindset caught up with all those trying to distance themselves from the war and made them look the reality in the eyes. I pray that the world doesn’t repeat this mistake and wouldn’t have to go through the firsthand experience of Russia’s “brotherly love” to understand the severity of this threat.
Voice of Ukraine 
4 responses to “4/18/2023 – Former mercenaries of the Wagner Group confess to numerous war crimes”
“We [devils] have made men proud of most vices, but not of cowardice. Whenever we have almost succeeded in doing so, God permits a war or an earthquake or some other calamity, and at once courage becomes so obviously lovely and important even in human eyes that all our work is undone, and there is still at least one vice of which they feel genuine shame.”
Screwtape Letters, by C.S.Lewis
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Habbakuk and Lamentations are so precious in these times, giving words to grief and to deep trust in God. “Though the fig tree does not blossom..”
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Jerimiah 12 is so appropriate: “Righteous are You, O God, yet I would speak with You of Your judgements..”
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Heavenly Father, bare Your mighty arm!
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