Ukraine (MNN) — While it appeared Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was making concessions, those appearances quickly disappeared yesterday. While the nation’s parliament was grappling with amnesty provisions for the opposition, Yanukovych insisted on provisions that gutted the legislation. That angered protestors throughout the country, which many believe is poised for civil war.
President of Russian Ministries Sergey Rakhuba grew up in Ukraine. While Ukraine seemed pleased that anti-protesting laws were overturned, the amnesty legislation didn’t fare as well. “When the Ukrainian Rada, which is the Ukrainian Parliament, was ready to take a vote, the president showed up in a room and basically forced his party to vote for his version of the law.”
Healing in Ukraine is needed now as country divide widens. Protestors are hungry to read Scripture.
The amnesty puts limits on it. It gives protestors 15 days to vacate public buildings and clean up barricades in Independence Square. If this doesn’t happen, those protestors who have been arrested will not be freed.
Many parliamentarians had indicated they wouldn’t vote for the provision. They eventually did, but only after Yanukovych threatened his deputies that he would hold snap parliamentary elections if the legislation didn’t pass.
Rakhuba says the nation is divided, and so is the church. He’s asking us to pray that God will raise up a spiritual voice: a leader “who will have enough courage and, as an ambassador of God, will lead the evangelical church in the process of becoming an entity of peace and reconciliation and trouble in their nation.” Healing in Ukraine is needed now.
Since many church leaders have already taken a stand, it will be difficult to find someone who has no political agenda.
In the meantime, Russian Ministries is still giving out Gospels of John to interested Ukrainians.100,000 copies have already been distributed. “100,000 copies of Scripture or Gospels of John in the Ukrainian language were just a drop in the bucket. In a time of trouble, people are a lot more open to receiving the Gospel. And we believe Scripture will transform lives.”
Your gift of $25 will print 100 Gospels of John which Rakhuba believes could be a key to revival in Ukraine. God working through your generous support will do just that.
Thanks for the article.
Just one correction – this isn’t really a politically motivated battle. The people came out because on November 30, the government sent in special forces to clear the maidan of about 200-300 peaceful student protesters, who were winding up their protests anyway, so I really can’t figure out why they did it. On November 30, the special forces brutally beat the students. They closed in one them, encircling them, and didn’t let them leave – boys and girls, and the ones who did get out, they chased until they took refuge in a monastery. It was recorded on iphones and video. Ukrainians were horrified by what they saw, and so they came out en masse to protest.
Why has it continued? The government has taken no steps to punish those responsible, but instead awarded the special forces for their work. That’s why people stood up to protest in such large numbers, and that’s why they haven’t gone home yet. Everything that has happened since then, abduction and torture of protesters, intimidation, police engaging hoods to help them beat down protests etc. etc. etc., is just an escalation of this first event on Nov 30.
There is an attempt to resolve the situation politically, but as you mentioned, that doesn’t seem to be working very well…. yet.
Prayer is needed.