Churches in Ukraine have marked the first anniversary of the Russian invasion with calls to prayer and fasting, as President Putin vowed to continue his military assault, and President Biden rallied morale during visits to Kyiv and Warsaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are now witnessing a media information wave about a major Russian offensive and troop mobilisation for a second large-scale attack,\u201d the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organisations, which includes the main Christian denominations, as well as Jewish and Muslim leaders, said in an appeal on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cMillions of believers are praying for an end to this war every day, but the great evil at its root does not want to retreat. In these fateful times, we understand that Ukraine needs God\u2019s power to defeat the Russian aggressor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The appeal was published in the run-up to Friday\u2019s anniversary, as European Union foreign ministers discussed arms supplies, and Ukrainian fighters struggled to hold back attacks on the eastern town of Bakhmut and other Russian targets.<\/p>\n
The appeal mentioned that \u201cmany politicians and experts\u201d had predicted that Ukraine would fall within three days of the invasion on 24 February 2022. They now also agreed that a \u201cmiracle had happened\u201d when numerically and technically superior forces had been held back.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ukrainian Churches mark war\u2019s anniversary with fresh appeals for aid https:\/\/t.co\/RvADToHAw8<\/a><\/p>\n — Church Times (@ChurchTimes) February 24, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n