This is no longer Putin’s war… maybe it was, but no longer.
It is the war of every Russian mother and father who failed to teach their sons that women and children are to be treasured, not shot and run over with their vehicles… or that no child should have to watch their mothers being raped to death.
It is the war of every Russian parent who did not teach their children that all life is precious and the elderly are to be respected, not shot while riding their bikes searching for food.
It is the war of every Russian child who saw his father self-emasculate behind a bottle of alcohol and saw his mother beaten and abused.
It is the war of every Russian school teacher who looked the other way when she knew her students were looking on each other’s paper because “what is the point of going to school if you do not do well,” who taught their students to win at any cost and that appearances count more than character.
It is the war of every Russian that believes “might makes right,” that the poor are to be exploited, that they should envy others who have what they have not, and that anything that does not belong to them is communal property for their taking.
It is the war of every person in the Russian herd who believes what their leaders tell them on television, rather than think for themselves or believe their Ukrainian relatives who are eye witnesses to the unprovoked horrors which are taking place in Ukraine at the hands of the Russian military.
It is the war of every Russian wife who asks her soldier husband to send home a set of dining chairs, or a household appliance from a Ukrainian apartment, or every Russian citizen that buys “goods” stolen from Ukrainians by soldiers and marauders.
It is the war of every Russian who sleeps in his own bed and keeps his silence while millions of Ukrainian civilians are sleeping and dying in basements, bomb shelters, subways and homes that are not their own.
It is the war of every hell-bound priest and pastor who claims to represent Christ and does not represent the poor, the widows and orphans, the sick and injured, the meek, the lowly, the peaceful… who keeps his silence while widows and orphans are newly minted every day by the hundreds and thousands.
This war of Russian aggression may have started out as Putin’s war, but make no mistake… THIS IS RUSSIA’S WAR and unless Russia soundly loses this war, she will never repent.
Eric Yodis has served through WorldVenture in Ukraine since 1995. After nineteen years in eastern Ukraine with his wife, Beth, they fled the war of Russian aggression in June 2014. Since 2015, they have lived in the Kyiv Oblast. They have once again been forced to evacuate due to the continuing war of Russian aggression against the peace loving people of Ukraine.
Eric Yodis 
Eric. Thank you for this incredibly well written piece… It makes me weep… and pray.
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Thanks for reading and commenting Deb. You’re not alone. I repeatedly had to dry my eyes while writing this.
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Russia went into this thinking it was going to be easy. Now it’s all ego. They can’t pull out because that would be the equivalent of being defeated in the eyes of the world. For a superpower, that is unacceptable. They’re embarrassed for the way the war has been progressing, so they have to lash out at someone or something. Unfortunately, it’s against the innocent civilian people of Ukraine. But that reaction is working disadvantageously for them. It’s encouraging to see the way most of the world has united in supporting Ukraine. We pray that Russia and Putin will see the folly of continuing and to seek peace, that they will see that this is another of their Afghanistans. Just pray that it will not take them as long to realize it. God is still in control. His will be done.
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Your comment reminds me of a comic I saw of a bird trying to swallow a frog, but the frog, who is halfway in the bird’s mouth, has his front arms extended out the bird’s mouth and his hands are wrapped around the bird’s neck. The bird can neither swallow the frog nor spit him out. Perhaps Russia is in a similar situation as that bird… similar… but not exactly. Thanks for commenting Steve. (also hope to see you in Oroville on 5/15).
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Thank you Eric and Beth. I was scheduled to be teaching in Odessa a week after the war started. The renewed connection with Ukraine has raised a passion mission to pray daily. You must be heart-broken.
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Great to hear from you Fred. I saw a man in line at the airport a couple weeks ago. He looked just like you from the top of his mask up… so I asked him, but turned out not to be you. 🙂 Thanks for praying for Ukraine.
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Hi Eric & Beth. It is heartbreaking to see the Putin destroying Ukraine. I grieve for the people of Ukraine who have no home to return to. Praying for Ukraine and Russia.
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Thanks for keeping us and Ukraine in your heart Monique. You are in ours as well!
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Eric and Beth: After unsuccessfully searching for you as this lunacy began to unfold, I have thought of you most every day. It is good to see that you are well. Your words in what you wrote are born from wisdom. Stay the course, my brother and sister.
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Hey Walt… so good to hear from you my friend. Thanks for the thoughts and for the prayers. Just seeing your picture brought back a flood of warm and wonderful memories!
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