Dear Brothers and Sisters, Shalom! As you may know well enough, Ukraine is currently far from peace and harmony.
The war is a harsh and painful reality, taking a toll on every aspect of our lives — starting with the most basic things we once took for granted, such as access to electricity, water, and stable mobile connections, and finishing with the loss of civilians’ and military lives.
You may have heard that since the very beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has deliberately targeted Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. In recent months, these attacks have become far more frequent and intense, including in the Odessa region. Day and night, regular strikes destroy power plants, distribution and transformer substations, water facilities, heating boiler plants for apartment buildings, railway infrastructure, and bridges.
Some of our faculty members have been without electricity since December 10th.
Many people lack electricity, water, and heat in their homes. When fire brigades arrive to extinguish fires, Russia often strikes the same location a second time to prevent them from doing their work. This has been happening nationwide throughout the war, but it has become especially dreadful in Odesa recently.
We ask that you pray for our nation and the Odessa region. Recently, there was an attack on the only automobile bridge that connects the southern part of the Odessa region with the rest of Ukraine. Unfortunately, the bridge was damaged. We do not know to what extent, but this already has an impact on the free movement of people.
Please pray for Ukraine.
Oleksandr Geychenko
President of Odessa Theological Seminary