Displaying items by tag: Europe

When Putin announced ‘military mobilisation’, thousands of Russians rushed to the border. Hundreds of thousands have left since the invasion began. Many were against the war, so not wanting to be drafted they left. Poor training and insufficient kit for new soldiers prompted more men and their families to flee. Estimates of how many have left vary from hundreds of thousands to up to seven million. Leaving is easy; finding somewhere to stay is hard. Countries have changed their laws to block Russian immigrants. They limit how many days Russian tourists can stay. Unable to return home, Russians must apply for residency to work in the countries they settle in. In 15 months 155,000 Russians received temporary residence permits in the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia. 17,000 applied for political asylum in EU countries, but only 2,000 received it. Russia’s interior ministry says 40% more have applied for foreign passports in 2022 than 2021.

On 8 June, in a shocking incident, four children, aged between one and three, were stabbed in a playground in Annecy.  Police overpowered and arrested the knifeman, who also stabbed two adults.  The victims are in hospital; three are in a critical condition.  The suspect is a 31-year-old Syrian who had refugee status in Sweden. He has no criminal or psychiatric record, and there is no sign of terrorist motivation. When applying for asylum in France in 2022, he said he was a Christian, and seemingly invoked the name of Jesus during the attack.  In recent years, France has become accustomed to knife attacks, often carried out by solitary young men with backgrounds in petty crime and some Islamist connection. It is clear that this attack is of a different nature. So far, most politicians are being careful not to leap to conclusions, but it is inevitable that the attack will feed into the debate on immigration.

Lisbon’s rent is €2,000+. The minimum wage is €760. There are more houses than people, but prices don't go down. Comedian Diogo Faro posted a social media video about high rent. His inbox was flooded with messages like divorced couples who can't afford to move out, the elderly choosing between paying rent or buying medication; shortening their lives to have a roof. Lisbon's mayor said that housing is the biggest crisis in our lifetime. 1/3 of Lisbon's historical centre is unoccupied due to ‘touristification’ - holiday rentals diverting homes from residential use to tourism. Foreign investors with Golden Visas can reside in Portugal, renovate a house, and then allow it to remain empty. Houses are being sold over and over again, creating a distortion in the housing market.

The Sunni Zaza are nomadic shepherds and farmers who practise mysticism. Years of repression leaves them crying out to God for help. Their Sunni Muslim mystical faith is rooted in shamanism and Zoroastrianism – spirituality not easily broken. Yet God is overcoming spiritual obstacles and a few dozen believers have emerged among Zaza speakers. Zaza has almost no literary tradition except a specimen of a poem praising Muhammad. Recently two magazines written in Zaza have emerged. See This little but growing church worships in Turkish - as they wait for biblical resources in their own dialects. The spoken word is more natural to Zazas than the written word, pray for workers to know how to develop fruitful oral resources.

NATO is deploying 700 additional troops to its peacekeeping mission in Northern Kosovo after clashes with local ethnic Serbian protesters left dozens injured on both sides. Majority-Albanian Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but neither Serbia nor ethnic Serbians in Northern Kosovo recognize Kosovo’s independence. Tensions often flare over which government is legitimate. 4,000 NATO troops are keeping the peace as an agreement giving local Serbs autonomy was never implemented. Recent elections in Northern Kosovo were boycotted by the ethnic Serb majority and Kosovo won but Serb protesters prevented leaders' access to their offices until riot police and NATO dispersed them, injuring 30 peacekeepers and 50 protesters. Serbia is on alert to defend ethnic Serbs in Kosovo. Belgrade’s Moscow allies blame Kosovo and the West for the crisis. America and the EU have called for de-escalation.

There were about 70,000 people living in Bakhmut before the invasion, but only a few thousand remain in the devastated city, once best known for its salt and gypsum mines and huge winery. The US believe over 20,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in the battle for Bakhmut and another 80,000 wounded. Ukraine has not released figures on its Bakhmut casualties, but there have been heavy losses. Capturing Bakhmut would bring Russia slightly closer to its goal of controlling all of Donetsk region, one of four regions annexed by Russia following referendums widely condemned outside Russia as a sham. Russia's Wagner mercenary group has started withdrawing from Bakhmut and has vowed to transfer control of the city to the Russian army by 1 June, but Kyiv says it still controls pockets of the city.

The conflict in Ukraine is about to enter a new high-intensity phase as Kyiv’s troops gear up for an anticipated counteroffensive. Ukraine’s persistent lobbying of allies has yielded significant results as NATO members have gradually relented about supplying high-tech weapons. The fighting in the coming weeks is likely to be bloody, as Ukraine aims to take back territory which Russia captured in the opening weeks of the invasion. A mix of complex weapons from across the world will require the adept handling of logistics if the offensive is to keep up its momentum, and supply and repair are vital for any advance to be successful. The Ukrainian military will have its work cut out. Russian forces have had months to prepare for the series of battles that could define the nature of the war. Both sides realise what is at stake. Russia will not give up its ground easily, despite talk of low morale among its forces.

Zenica city in central Bosnia has a small growing community of believers among the 115,000 Bosniak Muslims. Zenica’s large iron factory provides work for thousands, and the university and other businesses attract people from the surrounding communities. Praise God for both foreign and national Christian workers, who are spreading the good news there. In a city known for iron works, we pray for God’s truth shared through believers to remain sharp as iron and penetrate the hearts of many. Some smaller villages are isolated with zero witness among them. Pray that as the community gathers in Zenica, those who are believers would be put into contact with those open and ready to hear the good news. Proverbs 27:17 says iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another. Father, we ask that believers sharpen one another in spirit and truth and are in such unity that Bosnians will know that it is by Your power they live, move, and find their being.

Opinion polls predicted a win for opposition candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the election. However, President Erdogan received 49.5% of the votes, making it a serious test of his twenty-year iron rule. Turkey’s economy has soaring inflation, a plummeting lira, and a cost-of-living crisis partly caused by Erdogan’s wacky economic policies. Also the shambolic response to February’s earthquake which killed 50,000 and displaced 1.5 million added to Erdogan’s many corruption and mishandling scandals. Could mild-mannered technocrat Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is capable of uniting opposition parties of left and right, be what Turkish voters want in the run-off on 28 May? He has pledged to rule Turkey ‘with consultations and compromise’. A million Turkish expats living in the USA, Germany and Canada voted in the first round of the election: Kilicdaroglu has vowed to win the second round.

Whole towns flattened into fields of dirt, brick, and branches. People emerge from underground shelters to search for food and relief supplies. One country sent tanks. One country didn’t. Russia is winning. No, Ukraine is winning. Reports coming out of Ukraine are muddled. Different narratives spotlight different elements of the war. Yet the ones who feel forgotten are the Ukrainian families huddled in basements. The local churches are stepping up with aid to places where news cameras won’t go. The Holy Spirit is sending believers with the hope and help of Jesus Christ. Pray for more Christians to arise as messengers of His hope to the hopeless. Ask God to strengthen the Church as it becomes the hands and feet of Jesus, meeting physical and spiritual needs. Pray for increased opportunities for Ukrainians to discover and follow Christ.