A Ukrainian bishop has spoken about the severe psychological effects of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict on both soldiers and civilians.

Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk there are "permanently drones and rockets" flying overhead.

“The worst are the fibre-optic drones, they have a range of 50 kilometres (31 miles), and they shoot everything that moves and lives. We live in tension," he said.

“The biggest danger for us is the silence. When there is a silence, we don't know what will happen.

"Sometimes when we meet each other, we ask: ‘How are you? And the reply is just: ‘I’m still alive.’ And that is good." 

Bishop Pavlo highlighted the traumatic impact on both soldiers and civilians living in these conditons. “When we speak about people who lost their homes or their belongings, that is also a kind of trauma, and also prisoners of war who return, they carry a different kind of trauma and pain," he said. 

To help meet the psychological needs of those affected, charity ACN has worked with Bishop Pavlo to provide practical and spiritual support, including a specific trauma-informed course. The course has been an invaluable means of support for soldiers as they adjust to returning to family life, often bringing trauma with them that affects the family, and can even lead to “violence and even suicide”, Bishop Pavlo said.

The charity has provided practical support such as generators and vehicles, which enable those serving in the church to reach as many as they can.

“ACN is a hand of God, helping us get through our daily life…You are with us, and through you God helps us," Bishop Pavlo said.