From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 563):
From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised!
Psalm 113:3
Over these past trying (almost) 19 months, we learn to find grains of hope and gratitude even among the loss and darkness.
Ihor Kozlovskyi was a religious studies scholar and a man of integrity. On September 6, he died of a sudden heart attack at the age of 69. However, even his death brought more light into this world as we honor his memory and hear his story.
In the spring of 2014, Ihor Kozlovskyi was among the founders of the Prayer Marathon in Donetsk (and Дмитро Грищук was an active member of that ministry). The tent with the banner “We pray for peace in Ukraine here” was set up in one of the downtown squares in plain sight of Russian-backed terrorists. It was a statement of various religious organizations in Donetsk and the last stronghold, even when the city was under the enemy’s control.
Ihor Kozlovskyi stayed in Donetsk to care for his bedridden son with Down’s syndrome. In January 2016, he was captured by the puppet authorities and sent to the detention center, where he spent 700 days. His arrest had to be a lesson to others with pro-Ukrainian positions in Donetsk. He later reflected, “Their torture is an attempt to break your dignity through the physical body, to reach the existential level. And they are incredibly annoyed when you don’t break down.”
First, he was kept with criminals, then – with the so-called militias, and then all political prisoners were taken down to the pre-trial detention center. These single cameras were death chambers and life sentences. It was a completely isolated space, with no chance to move and absolute isolation from any information. That’s where he spent six months.
He shared, “There were cases of suicide. There were even cases of insanity. I have seen people lose their common sense. This happened to those who couldn’t find their inner strength. When I was in that small cell […] I would lecture rats to hear my voice and verbalize my thoughts. When you verbalize your ideas, you remain human. So you put all your effort into not just existing but living a full life even in the death chamber.”
After his release, Ihor Kozlovskyi was often invited to share about his captivity and life afterward. He often said that release from captivity is another insurmountable challenge for many, as you are left one-on-one with your thoughts. Many people try to forget that experience and pretend it never happened. Some try to forgive their offenders, but true forgiveness is possible only after repentance. Otherwise, you are stuck with the issue of justice.
The passing of Ihor Kozlovskyi came as a shock and a great loss to Ukraine. However, I believe that God can use this loss as a megaphone to reach the hearts of those wandering around searching for answers.
Voice of Ukraine 