Voice of Ukraine

Day 434

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Psalm 134:1

Kamikaze drone/missile terror is back after a relatively quiet April. Last night, they attacked our cities with 26 kamikaze drones (our air defense shot down 21). The US embassy has warned its citizens about the increased risk of missile attacks on Kyiv. Well, it is somewhat expected since we are approaching the 9th of May, Victory Day that is idolized in Russia. We know that provocations and massive missile strikes are possible, yet we also remember that we had the same apprehensions around this time last year, yet God was merciful.

Unfortunately, the hell of war is merciless. Today, the Russians cruelly targeted Kherson. They shelled the railroad station, a home improvement hypermarket, a grocery store, residential blocks, and a gas station, killing 21 and injuring 43 people. All the victims were civilians who were simply minding their own business on a fine spring day. Three electrical engineers were killed while repairing a power line outside of Kherson. I am angry, heartbroken, and disgusted by this madness. As I was looking through today’s news to find a picture to go with this post, I knew I couldn’t use most of them as they contained blood and bodies – things Facebook would blur and label as “sensitive content.” I myself am cautious about sharing such sensitive things online, yet how can you stay away from “sensitive content” when you live through an ugly war?

Ukraine’s committee for nuclear safety announced that they learned from the International Atomic Energy Agency that Russian troops had placed military equipment, weapons, and explosives in the turbine section of power unit No. 4 of the Zaporizhzhia NPP. In July 2022, there were the same reports about the engine room of power unit No. 1. I wouldn’t be surprised if they mined the surrounding territory or did another dangerous thing. If something happens to a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the whole world will suffer consequences, as radiation knows no state borders. How come there is room for such conversations in the 21st century?

I saw the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report. They are concerned about Bakhmut, Mariinka, Avdiivka, and Vuhledar and say that those people (who live in the hostilities zone) need food, water, hygiene kits, and shelter supplies. Well, yes, they do need humanitarian aid, but they also need the invaders to get away from their land, stop destroying their cities and killing their people. Wouldn’t this be a better solution to the humanitarian crisis? It seems so to me, yet it’s not so clear to the UN that it keeps tolerating Russia as a member of its Security Council. It’s sad when institutions that were created for peacekeeping become a laughingstock.

Please, pray for Kherson and other cities along the front line. And pray for our defenders.