When Russian forces crossed the border into Ukraine I felt it was clearly an unjustified invasion. I’ve been surprised to learn that several close friends disagree. They believe Russia had to make this move because it doesn’t want a NATO presence on its border. When the USSR folded they say, The West committed to not extend NATO to include Ukraine. Some of those following this reasoning seem to side with Russia in its destruction of Ukraine. I have several questions for those who present this argument.

Can we deny Ukrainians the right to defend their country? They have memories, or have been told of the ransacking of their country by the Red Army during Stalin’s brutal regime. Stalin took their grain and other foods in a deliberate strategy to starve the people. Many thousands of Ukrainians were killed for resisting. Others were sent to the Gulag and were never seen or heard from again.

In the current war Russian forces are targeting apartment buildings, malls, railway stations, etc. They have demolished villages and cities. Homes are being destroyed, leaving families without shelter. The land is being devastated, ensuring there will be less food production in the future. We’re also receiving reports of parents hiding their children because they fear the Russian army will abduct them and send them to Russia for adoption. Vladimer Putin seems to have taken a page from Stalin’s playbook.

My concern is for the Ukrainian and Russian men who are being slaughtered or maimed. My concern is also for families who are losing loved ones, homes, their sense of security and much more.

To this time I’ve posted a couple of updates provided by the Friends of Mennonite Centre Ukraine. They have for many years provided basic necessities and have a longstanding connection with people who already had serious needs before the war. Those are much greater now. We hope you will find time to read the update below.

Mennonite Centre in Molochansk, Ukraine Update #101 May 6, 2023

Here is what we are hearing this morning …

Near Melitopol, people are hiding their children from the occupying Russians.

The Russians are forcing the parents to take their children out of schools and kindergartens and send them to Berdiansk to the south on the Sea of Avoz coast. This will not be their final destination. Afterwards, the children are to be taken to Mariupol and then to Rostov in Russia.

The parents do not want to send the children away and hide them because they know it will be very hard to find them in Russia.

The Russians threaten the parents that if they don’t let the children go, then the government’s financial assistance will be withdrawn from them. The Russians are fierce and screaming that the Ukrainian offence starts tomorrow. This is the situation in Molochansk and all the Tokmak region. This is the message all parents received this morning: “Dear parents! EVACUATION has been announced at the school! Today, arrive at the school building with documents for the child and a minimum of things for a couple of weeks. The evacuation will be carried out in Berdiansk. Those who can leave on their own should do it. Due to the aggravation on the front line, there is a threat to the city and the citizens.”

I came from Dnipropetrovsk oblast. I experienced huge stress; we were bombed from the first day of the war. My sons are soldiers, I worry for them. I went to the hospital and from the hospital I was brought to Kolomyia. One of my sons is wounded, please pray for him. The food hampers, I receive, help me to live because I have no income. Thank you very much for your support.

If you wish to donate to help the needy, then please visit our website http://www.mennonitecentre.ca/ and click on the donate tab. To donate by e-transfer please use the email address gtdyck@gmail.com and please include your postal address in a note accompanying the transfer so I can issue a tax receipt to you. Thank you!!

For almost a year Linda and I have been receiving updates on the efforts of the Mennonite Centre’s efforts to make life more bearable for Ukrainians seeking to survive in the midst of the devastation of their country. The accounts tell a story that the major media seem not to be interested in or aware of. Because the Centre has been active for many years in Ukraine, providing basic necessities impoverished people cannot afford, it has credibility and intimate relationships of trust. Their objective isn’t to help Ukraine militarily. Rather, it is to provide basics like shelter, food, fire wood to heat homes. medical advice and supplies, encouragement and friendship and much more. By sharing these reports we hope to give readers some understanding of what it means to live in apartments with no windows, doors, sometimes no roofs, and the constant fear of missile strikes, It’s a story of people courageously looking after each other, often in the most dire circumstances.

Below is a recent update written by George Dyck. (We also published a report on Feb, 23, 2023.)

Mennonite Centre in Molochansk, Ukraine Update #97 April 6, 2023

This is from Krasnogorivka, one of our Mennonite Centre partners. They are located at the very front line in the east in Donets. The pastor Radislav (in a checked jacket) received chaplains from the Western Ukraine. The key thought in their talks was that we can be different, but we are united (Western and Eastern Ukraine).

Four times the building of the church was hit. Most of the building is destroyed. But people still get together for services. Much needed food is also distributed here.

We have unconfirmed reports from Molochansk … The “occupied building” referred to is the former Mennonite hospital in Muntau right beside Halbstadt now collectively called Molochansk. In past years the Mennonite Centre has done much to help former Muntau hospital take care of patients including the purchase of an ambulance, etc.

Part of the facility was used as a dorm for recovering sick kids. Another part was used as a home for the aged. It is this part of the hospital that the report refers to as housing “peaceful grandparents”.

I have made no attempt to change translation …

“The occupiers of the Zaporizhzhia region are literally hiding behind the backs of peaceful grandparents in Molochansk, they have taken up residence in a 3-story hospital building. They [the occupiers] placed their 300s in the basement. So far, the Russian army survivors live in the wards on the 1st and 3rd floors.

And on the 2nd floor there are permanently lonely elderly civilians. According to local information, the soldiers themselves are panicking in anticipation of a counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Many are ready to lay down their arms, but the occupiers are scaring “their” panickers. Allegedly, so-called blocking squads have been set up around Molochansk, so everyone who runs will be shot.”

If you wish to donate to help the needy, then please visit our website http://www.mennonitecentre.ca/ and click on the donate tab.

To donate by e-transfer please use the email address gtdyck@gmail.com and please include your postal address in a note accompanying the transfer so I can issue a tax receipt to you. Thank you!!

When Vladimir Putin’s forces invaded Ukraine, mainstream media were keenly interested. With the war grinding on month after month, this interest has flagged. Now they largely report  missile strikes on major cities, especially Kyiv.  At times we also hear about an infusion of cash or donation of heavy tanks. They give only scant, occasional attention to the devastation of individual lives, families and communities.

Rarely do they provide an understanding of the misery caused when mothers and children flee, leaving fathers and husbands who are defending Ukraine. We are told little about the scarcity of wood for heat, warm clothes, dwindling  food supplies, or the fear endured by those hiding in dank, unheated basements or  apartment buildings with blown out windows, doors, or even walls.

For almost a year, Linda & I have received reports  from the Friends of the Mennonite Centre. Some years ago this small Canadian organization established The Mennonite Centre in Ukraine with the goal of providing essential necessities of life to impoverished Ukrainians. With the onset of the war, the needs have increased. Because the Mennonite Centre has Ukrainian people doing the day to day work, they have an intimate understanding of what people need. They have also developed relationships with local groups, providing them with financial and other assistance.

Below is a recent update written by George Dyck to help readers understand the plight of those directly impacted by the war.

Mennonite Centre in Molochansk, Ukraine

Update #90 February 9, 2023

Our partners from Uman Help Center go to the South, to the deoccupied villages of Kherson oblast on a regular basis. The last visit was to two villages Chervona Zorya and Tavriyske. These villages are almost destroyed. Still, most of the people are not planning to leave. They hope to restore their homes and continue to live in the area. Pastor Dmytro and his team are connected with the leadership of the community and coordinate their activities with them. Thus, they try to be as effective as possible. They know what the need is and bring the most necessary things. It’s a very wise approach and works very well.

This time besides flashlights and blankets they brought pots and kettles. It’s February. Spring is coming. And my guess seeds will be of great demand very soon. People in many villages live without electricity for seven months. So, flashlights and candles are in big demand.

Warm blankets, pillows are also very needed, because many villages are partially destroyed. It means that some people lost their houses with most of their belongings. After the de-occupation the head of the community got a generator from the government. This is the only place in the village where people can charge their cell phones and other equipment. We talked with the pastor Dmitriy from Uman, who delivered all those items to people.

We wanted to understand the atmosphere in the village, how people are going though all these hardships. The pastor said that people are different, and their attitudes are different, as everywhere in the world I guess, but people are very grateful and positive and they are strongly determined to rebuild their village. Life goes on.

If you wish to donate then please visit our website http://www.mennonitecentre.ca/ and click on the donate tab. To donate by e-transfer please use the email address gtdyck@gmail.com and please include your postal address in a note accompanying the transfer so I can issue a tax receipt to you. Thank you!! Your support is appreciated!