Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 463):

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Psalm 13:1-2

June 1 is International Children’s Day. I fondly remember this day from my childhood, mainly because it was traditionally the first day of summer break. Sunshine, ice cream, laughter, careless fun… These turn into gloom, tears, and despair in Ukraine in 2023.

Last night, around 3 am, Russia attacked Kyiv again with Iskander rockets (both ballistic and cruise missiles). The problem with ballistic missiles is that they are launched from the ground and travel too fast to alert the population well in advance. Even though our air-defense forces shot down all 10 rockets, the fragments fell to the ground and killed 3 people, including a 9-year-old girl. What a tragic and cruel irony – the death of a child on International Children’s Day. There were more sirens throughout the day, and there is information about the launch of missiles by Russia’s strategic aviation right now (estimated time of crossing into Ukraine’s airspace at 2:30 am). I’m tired of crying, “How long, o Lord?”

Since February 24, 2022, Russia has killed 484 children (the actual number may be much higher as it does not include the statistics from the currently occupied territories), wounded 992, and forcefully deported 19,505. In the month of May, they attacked Ukraine almost every night and launched 185 missiles and 381 kamikaze drones. They think they can exhaust us and make us want to give up (there is no other military reasoning for their missile terrorism), but they don’t realize that we are getting more and more resolved with every explosion and every sleepless night.

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
Psalm 13:3-5