“I don’t know what would have happened to me if not for our Church”: people’s testimonies about the UGCC’s ministry during the war

One of the charitable partners of the Mudra Sprava Foundation is the Apostolic Exarchate for Ukrainians of the Byzantine Rite in Germany and Scandinavia. It has succeeded in uniting not only Ukrainians or European Union citizens of Ukrainian descent, but also caring donors from different parts of Europe in support of the Ukrainian people. Every donation, every gift and word of support today becomes moral support and reassurance to Ukrainians exhausted by constant shelling and air raid sirens that they are not alone in this war. Every gesture of solidarity is much more than a material donation. It is a respect for universal Christian values, a testimony of closeness to a hurting neighbour, and a manifestation of God’s love.

This is declared not only by us, but also by Ukrainians from different regions of our country.

Brovary, a modular settlement for internally displaced people:

“On behalf of all the people who live in this modular settlement, I would like to express my gratitude to the people who care about us so much. I am a resident of the Kurakhivska community in Donetsk Oblast. I happened to live here. We are very grateful to the priests Oleh and Serhiy, to all the people who prepare these hot meals, to the people who send us money for these meals. Everything is very tasty. So, a big thank you not only from me, but from all the people who live here. May God grant us all health, peace, and victory!”

Yuriy Ivanovych, 87 years old, from the Vynohradar neighbourhood of Kyiv:

“All my life I’ve been active in sports, working on myself and thanking God for everything He gives me. We thank all the donors who help us in our time of need. We thank the Lord for supporting us, for giving us His hand. And we thank Him for the help and grace He gives us throughout our lives. We believe Him for He is our Lord, our light, our way, our truth, and our life. We thank everyone who donates to support us!”

Vasyl Andronyk, Verkhnekamianske village, Donetsk region:

“I am from Donbas, from the long-suffering village of Verkhnekamianske. It is located on the border of Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts. Today it is almost totally ruined. I managed to leave for Kropyvnytskyi, where our Greek Catholic Church helped me tremendously. There was also a Greek Catholic Church in our village in Donbas. So as soon as I learned about our church, I went there. I do not know what would have happened to me if it was not for our church. They helped me a lot, supported me, gave me everything I needed, clothed me, and put on shoes. So now I also try to help Fr Ivan, to volunteer. Just today we brought aid from Caritas here [to Znamianka, Odesa Oblast]. We also have a point of invincibility at the church. Our village is almost gone, so I do not know if we will have a place to go back to. The main thing is the Church. And it is with us.”

Tetiana Buha, Bakhmut, Donetsk region:

“I am from Bakhmut. We left with our family, husband and two children in April last year. The city is destroyed. We have no property. We now live here [in Kropyvnytskyi] because we have relatives. We were accepted here and warmed up. We have always used your services, your kindness and humanitarian aid. We went to church. The church helped us with words, clothes and humanitarian aid.”

“Any humanitarian aid is important. We are starting from scratch, buying everything, and obviously we don’t have enough money for everything. On top of that, we have not yet decided where we will continue to live. And being in such an uncertain position, buying something big, like a washing machine or a fridge… We are currently renting an apartment with nothing in it. So, I turned to Fr Ivan, and he put me in touch with various people. The Church helped in some way. Therefore, any humanitarian aid is a great support for IDPs or those in need.”

Yulia Nesterenko, Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast:

“I always tell everyone, especially the Russians, that we are like in a chicken coop here. First, we are frightened by the sound of explosions, and then we live again and wait again. We are waiting for victory. And that is the only way.

Most of all, people in the frontline areas need peace. We also have many people who are ill, so they need medicines. There is also never enough food. But we all survive, live and hope for the best. If they give us food, we will thank them, but if they don’t, we will still come here. Because we come to communicate, pray, and support each other. And this means a lot. When we were heavily bombed on 31 December, we came here on 1 January and just looked at each other to support each other. And this faith has not died in us!”

Victoria Hribanova, Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast:

“Every day I work with children in this centre. We have both big and small children. Yes, they are very lively, but they are kind, for they support each other, take interest in each other, and stand up for each other. They attend various sports training sessions in samba, karate, and other martial arts, so they share their achievements with us by showing us photos or awards. We are proud of them. I am here every day from two to five o’clock. We work together with my father. We took a training course in Lviv: ‘Psychological Support: The Way of the Superhero’. They sent us materials, so we are gradually getting involved in this work. The children are extremely enthusiastic about the lessons because it is something new for them — cards, diagrams, exercises. For example, an exercise on how to get out of a stressful situation. We are gradually working on this.”

Father Serhiy Palamarchuk, St George the Victorious parish, Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast:

“I have already had to move twice. I was born in Donetsk. That is why I tell everyone that I am a Donbass man. The first time I had to move from Donetsk in 2014. I missed these events because at that time I was in Italy, studying at university and serving Ukrainians in a parish. The second time was during the full-scale invasion, which caught me in the Luhansk region. After returning from Italy to Ukraine, I went to serve in Lysychansk. There we established a new parish in Lysychansk, in Sievierodonetsk and several other villages. When that infamous Thursday came, the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it was obvious that we had to flee. But I wasn’t the only one who fled, because two other priests came in their cars, and we went to a village in the Novoaydar district, which was 5–7 km from the contact line even before the full-scale invasion. We started taking out families with children who were unable to leave. We would go to Lysychansk, then head to Dnipro, and from there we would send them to other regions. This continued until Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk were completely captured in mid-summer 2022. Then I stayed in Dnipro at the Salesian House thanks to my friend, priest Oleh Ladniuk. I stayed there all summer and autumn. At that time, I could not sit still, so I was constantly in contact with our parishioners and children. We even managed to organise such a grand event as a children’s camp.”