Check out MTW’s feature on our churches in Ukraine and their vision for the church
September 22, 2026
On February 24, 2022, at 5 a.m., Pastor Ivan Bespalov of Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, was awakened by the explosions of a Russian missile attack. He turned on the TV, saw that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion, and immediately started messaging his congregants in the church’s group chat. Russian troops were advancing quickly, and Ivan rushed to coordinate evacuations through the city’s only open road.
Four and a half years later, Ivan watched from his kitchen window as a Russian ballistic missile hit a storage facility near his apartment. This time, he didn’t blink an eye.
“It’s become a routine, and it’s scary, but you learn to become accustomed to it,” Ivan said.
Since February 2022, Ukraine has been undergoing constant Russian attacks, and MTW missionaries and church leaders from their partner denomination, the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Ukraine, daily navigate caring for a people who experience deep trauma while simultaneously surviving it themselves. . . . .
Read the complete article here!
