Russia escalated its winter assault on Ukraine overnight by deploying a rarely-used hypersonic missile, as Christian leaders warned civilians have been pushed to breaking point during freezing blackouts.
The president of the Christian organisation Mission Eurasia, told Premier Christian News his “heart is breaking” as churches stepped in to shelter families left without heat, power or water.
Russia used the Oreshnik ballistic missile during a massive strike on Ukraine shortly before midnight on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 25 people in Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Explosions were heard for hours, with residential buildings badly damaged and power supplies disrupted during extreme Winter cold.
Sergey Rakhuba, president and CEO of Mission Eurasia, said more than one million people had been left without electricity in parts of the country, including his hometown of Zaporizhzhia.
“No power means no heat, no water, no place to cook meals,” he told Premier on Friday, adding that hospitals were operating on generators and children were suffering.
He also added that churches had become “hubs and beacons of hope” during blackouts, offering food, warmth and prayer.
Denis Gorkenov, a senior leader in Ukrainian military chaplaincy, said soldiers on the front line were enduring constant bombardment while fighting for their families.
He revealed that through chaplaincy work, thousands of specially printed copies of the Gospel of Mark had been distributed to troops, offering prayer and biblical encouragement before battle.
Rakhuba said the greatest need for people affected by the war is spiritual as well as practical support. “The church in Ukraine is shining more than ever before,” he said, while calling on Christians in the UK to continue praying for courage, peace and God’s intervention to end the war.
The strike marked the second known use of the Oreshnik missile, first deployed in November 2024.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said infrastructure near Lviv, close to the Polish border, had been hit as part of a wider barrage including missiles and drones.