Displaying items by tag: Russia

Russia is under the microscope for atrocities committed since the start of its war with Ukraine, from the killing and torture of religious leaders to the destruction of houses of worship. One Russian official even used the term ‘desatanization’ to describe the plan to cleanse the nation of many religious groups. Muslim Tatars in Crimea are repressed by Russian authorities, and many sentenced to long prison terms for principled opposition to the occupation. Russian forces attacking Ukraine have desecrated Holocaust remembrance sites and killed Holocaust survivors. It's not just Ukraine. Since the invasion, Moscow has been tightening its grip inside Russia on religious groups. 30% of Russian Jews have fled Russia since the war began with 50,000 emigrating to Israel. In Russia's occupied territories, the Russian military has bombed churches, monasteries, kingdom halls, mosques, synagogues, cemeteries, and other religious sites, and Russian soldiers have abducted and tortured religious figures because of their leadership roles.

Wagner is giving ‘career talks’ in Russian schools to recruit young soldiers. Wagner, Putin’s private army distributed questionnaires entitled ‘Application of a Young Warrior’ to collect pupils' details. Moscow attempted to win the Bakhmut conflict with a ‘human wave’ of battalions of convicts, followed by elite Wagner troops. Half are now dead. This initiative will not replace the convict recruit pipeline. Wagner made slow gains at an immense cost. Pray for the ‘career talks’ to fall on deaf ears as adults to protect vulnerable teenagers. Meanwhile on 16th March a short circuit appeared to have caused a fire, which ignited fuel tanks in a building used by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). The FSB is Russia's internal security service, responsible for counterintelligence, border security and counter-terrorism. There has been a spate of arson attacks on government buildings, such as enlistment and conscription offices since the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

The international criminal court in The Hague will seek arrest warrants against Russian individuals over war crimes. The arrest warrants come a year after the prosecutor opened investigations into possible war crimes against humanity and genocide. He has made three trips to Ukraine sites of alleged violations. Putin’s spokesperson said, ‘We do not recognise this court; or its jurisdiction.’ Russia left the leading human rights watchdog, Council of Europe, and threatened to withdraw from the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, thereby deepening the country’s isolation from the west.

Dame Deborah Bronnert, Britain's ambassador to Moscow, ran a gauntlet of loud-mouthed propagandists following her down the street shouting repeatedly, ‘You are not welcome here,' and ‘Britain sponsors terrorism.' She told the protesters, ‘We want peace,' and tried to continue speaking but was cut off and told repeatedly that Britain sponsored terrorism. She reiterated, ‘Russia must stop the war.’ Reports say she had no official meetings with the pro-war authorities in Vladivostok, but was hauled into their foreign ministry and forced to walk through what appeared to be stage-managed propagandists. Russia has increased rhetoric against the UK as its Ukraine invasion falters.  Western officials say the wild claims are a distraction tactic. Moscow protests are rare and quickly crushed by police - suggesting this protest had tacit support from authorities.

Ukraine was very much on everyone’s hearts, and some Ukrainian sisters and young Russian brothers came to the conference. It was not an easy situation for them, a Ukrainian sister expressed the deep wounds and pain caused to Ukrainians through the losses they are suffering day in and day out, by Russians. Then a young Russian Christian who helps drug addicts and social fringe groups testified how his fellow ministry leaders had suffered persecution after scrutiny by Russian authorities. In their own ways, both sides were ‘victims’ of the same autocratic state, and their pain was palpable. We prayerfully surrounded them, and during our intercessions, they were eventually able to reach out and embrace one another. It was deeply moving to witness these tentative steps of reconciliation between Ukrainian and Russian Christians. Reconciliation at the cross is a powerful weapon against the ‘real enemy’. Our struggle is not with flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Finance ministers of the world's largest economies failed to agree on a closing statement after China refused to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine or accept parts of G20’s statement deploring Russia's aggression ‘in the strongest terms’. Moscow said ‘anti-Russian’ countries had ‘destabilised’ the G20 after China’s plan was viewed as pro-Russian. President Zelenskiy will meet China’s president to discuss China’s cease-fire proposal, saying a meeting would be ‘important for world security.’ China's 12-point ‘political settlement’ plan does not require Russia to leave Ukraine and was met with scepticism from Ukraine’s allies. Emmanuel Macron called on Beijing to ‘help us pressure Russia’ to end the war as peace was only possible if ‘Russian aggression stopped, troops withdraw and territorial sovereignty of Ukraine and its people is respected’. Joe Biden said, ‘China as a peacemaker in Ukraine is not rational. Putin's applauding it, so how could it be any good? I've seen nothing in the plan that would benefit anyone other than Russia, if China's plan were followed.’ See also

Pray for the women in Ukraine. Twelve months after Russia invaded the country, they are increasingly vulnerable to sexual violence with reports of abuse on the rise, according to a leading humanitarian organisation in the country. Women fleeing from bombed houses and their hometowns are reporting attacks occurring in the home and in communal shelters. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as ‘an affront to our collective conscience’, saying Friday’s anniversary is ‘a grim milestone for the Ukrainians. Pray for the UN to make wise decisions regarding Ukraine, ammunition and war machines. Joe Biden vowed that the US would defend ‘literally every inch of NATO territory’ ahead of talks with NATO’s secretary general and leaders of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a collection of nations on the most eastern parts of the NATO alliance and closest to Russia. Pray for aggressive talk to end and peace talks to begin.

It is hard to get an accurate picture of how Russians feel about invading Ukraine, given legislation which outlaws any comments discrediting the military or referring to the invasion as a war rather than a ‘special military operation’. But a survey by an independent Russian research group in November suggests it is dividing generations. 75% of those aged 40 and over support the war, compared with 62% of those aged 18-24. The younger generation get their news from outlets such as YouTube and social media. The generation brought up during the Soviet Union absorb the official government narrative via state-run TV, so support military action. Despite the risks, Russian filmmakers have recorded the impact that the invasion of Ukraine has had on Russians. Many thousands have fled. Those that stayed have to choose: support the war, oppose it, or stay silent.

More Russian soldiers are dying this month than at any time since the invasion. 824 Russian losses a day is over four times the rate reported in June and July. The Ukrainian military claims 137,780 Russian military deaths since the invasion began. The UK's MoD said recent increases could be due to lack of trained personnel and resources. See Pray for God to comfort Russian and Ukrainian families who are mourning the loss of a loved one. Also Wagner’s boss said his mercenary group is facing difficulties and will soon decrease in size as his political influence in the Kremlin wanes. The recruitment of prisoners to Wagner ranks has stopped, therefore the number of its units will decrease. Several prominent human rights groups have said the ministry of defence has now taken over Wagner’s role of recruiting inmates - effectively depriving the group of its main source of manpower.

Russia has deployed vessels armed with tactical nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea for the first time in three decades, according to a Norwegian intelligence report. Warships regularly went to sea with nuclear weapons during the Soviet era, but this is the first time the Russian Federation has deployed them. Norway’s report comes as Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine reaches the one-year mark. The report said this deployment of vessels implies Russia will continue to pose a threat to Norway and NATO. Norway said that a localised war could possibly escalate into a wider conflict with direct military involvement by Russia, the USA, NATO, and Norway. Russia has called its war in Ukraine a special military operation, and accuses NATO of interfering.