Ukraine (MNN) — Russian officials have denied any intention to invade Ukraine after massing 100,000 troops near the shared border. Russia wants assurances that Ukraine will not join NATO in the future, something the U.S. has denied.
Currently, Russia is studying a U.S. counter-proposal, mostly dealing with missile placements. The U.S. and other Western countries have argued that Ukraine should be able to pick its own alliances.
Frank Stephenson serves as the Director of Communications for Trans World Radio Europe. He talks about how these different forces tug on Ukraine. “There are those within Ukraine who have always had particularly strong ties with Russia, because of Russian being their predominant language. Then you have the other areas in Ukraine which are predominantly Ukrainian in the language and the culture. So there’s even kind of, in some ways, these two sides already in the country.”
TWR ministry
Despite the political tensions, TWR continues to minister in both Russia and Ukraine. Their radio programs have introduced Jesus to many. Stephenson says, “It’s really a privilege to work with the contacts and the people that we have in both countries, knowing they are doing their best for their people to point them to the One that gives hope and peace.”
One woman in Kyiv says she listens to the programs every day. Another woman living in the countryside says she only knows one other Christian in her village, so she feels connected to the Church through these programs. An 8-year-old Russian child first heard about Jesus on a TWR program and decided to follow Him.
Pray for TWR staff and other Christians on both sides of the Russia-Ukraine border. Ask God to strengthen them with His love. Stephenson says, “Pray they will find the right words to share on the programs. Pray they will take the fears that are there and respond to them in a biblical way.”
The header photo is a collage of scenes from the war fought between Russia and Ukraine since 2014. (Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
