This night, on Maundy Thursday, Ukraine experienced another night of fear due to a massive missile and drone attack by Russia. The consequences of this barbaric aggression are especially tragic for the residents of the Svyatoshynskyi district of Kyiv, where search and rescue operations are ongoing under the rubble of a destroyed house, where phone calls are heard from under the ruins, where two children have still not been found…
I express my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. We pray for all those innocently killed tonight – at least eight civilians who became victims of a criminal attack. In addition to the already identified victims, fragments of bodies have also been found, whose identities have not yet been established. It is also known about more than 70 wounded, including children and a pregnant woman. May the Lord, who rose from the dead, receive the souls of the innocently murdered into His Kingdom, and grant healing and strength to the injured.
I thank all the rescuers, doctors, and military personnel who fearlessly and sacrificially saved lives this night, and who now continue to work at the scene of the tragedy, pulling people out of the rubble, and providing assistance to those who need it most. You stand guard over humanity and love for your neighbor.
I call on religious leaders, heads of state, and public figures of the international community to raise a common voice, to make a single appeal, to take joint action to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine. Let us help our long-suffering land to fall silent, to restrain hostilities, and to establish a just and lasting peace. For today the Risen Christ – our peace – stands among us and breathes His peace upon us. So let us allow Him to act through us. Let us help stop the war. Let us help Ukraine to stand and live.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav’s Facebook
