Ukraine: Amazing War Stories

(From Al Akimoff and YWAM Slavic Ministries) – Following is just one of the updates we receive nearly daily about the situation in Ukraine and it’s a mixture of the sad, thought-provoking, and miraculous things going on in that nation as the war with Russia rages on….

*One of the Ukrainian TV channels reported a large group of recently mobilized Russian soldiers getting in touch with the Ukrainian side and surrendering to the authorities. They were sent to fight without a boot camp, warm clothes, or ammunition but with lots of empty promises and a threat to be shot if they chose to retreat. To save their lives, they killed their commander and surrendered to the Ukrainian armed forces.

*Russia keeps attacking Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv as the cities closest to the front lines. In one of the recent attacks, the missiles hit an apartment building in Mykolaiv, burying the residents under the debris. The rescue team found an 11- year-old boy who spent 6 hours under the rubble, but the boy died at the hospital.

*We hear some amazing stories from people who survived the missile attacks on Monday. A man who walks on the Glass Bridge every morning was there at the time of the attack, and, was even captured by the surveillance cameras, is unharmed and even joking about the accident. A father and son took a detour that morning on the way to preschool and avoided getting hit by the missile debris. A military chaplain whose morning jogging route passes not one but four (!) of the locations hit by the missiles was running late that morning, which saved his life.

*The occupational authorities may be planning forceful deportation in the Kherson region as they started telling people about the need to evacuate and “kindly offer” relocation to Russia. We believe it is a sign that they fear that our army is approaching Kherson.

*And, finally, even the bees are fighting the Russians in Ukraine! The bees have neutralized a boobytrap in Babyntsi (Kyiv region). It has been reported that the Russians booby trap most mass grave sites and anything you can see in the de-occupied territories. Back in March, they set a booby trap in a beehive in a Babyntsi village. The beehive owner returned only now, and when he opened the hive, he saw two hand grenades covered with honey and beeswax which prevented them from detonating. I get goosebumps from such stories when you clearly see the hand of God. 

Please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine AND for the people in Russia who don’t even want to fight in this war! Especially in Ukraine, many homes are destroyed and winter is coming! So far they are surviving with occasional rolling blackouts.