Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova near Kyiv (Day 530):

Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:7

There are days when I only have time to read the news in the evening. I check several news outlets and trusted sources and praise God if the day was uneventful. However, more often than not, there are reports of shelling and missile terror. My reactions are not as fresh as at the beginning of the full-scale war, but usually, I immediately check what I was doing when this happened.

Tonight, at about 9 pm, we were done with dinner, and my mom and I were going to finish canning some green beans. Our son was getting ready for bed. My sister called to check on something. Everyone was finishing up something at the end of the day.

At the same time, Russian missiles hit an apartment building in Pokrovsk (Donetsk region). When the emergency workers started the rescue operation, the second missile hit the site. I am always stunned by such cruelty. I imagine people in those apartment buildings having an ordinary evening, just like ours — tucking their kids in bed, having evening tea, finishing something in the kitchen. But then it’s all interrupted by the deadly blast. As the first responders rush to save the survivors, fighting fire and unstable structure, they are taken out by the second explosion. That can’t be an accident.

As of now, 7 people are reported killed (including the Head of the Emergency Service in the Donetsk region), and 57 are injured (including 19 police officers, 5 rescuers, and a child). The rescue operation continues, as do our mourning, prayers, and cries for justice.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts! Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Psalm 80:19