When war becomes routine: How the church in Ukraine is holding fast to Christ
By Hannah Herrera - Posted at MTW.org : Published September 22, 2026 Believers in Ukraine have found a new normal, a unifying hope in the gospel, and a sense of urgency in building the kingdom of God. On February 24, 2022, at 5 a.m., Pastor Ivan Bespalov of Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, was awakened by the explosions of a Russian missile attack. He turned on the TV, saw that Russia had launched a full-scale invasion, and immediately started messaging his congregants in the church’s group chat. Russian troops were advancing quickly, and Ivan rushed to coordinate evacuations through the city’s only open road. Four and a half years later, Ivan watched from his kitchen window as a Russian ballistic missile hit a storage facility near his apartment. This time, he didn’t blink an eye. “It’s become a routine, and it’s scary, but you learn to become accustomed to it,” Ivan said. Since February 2022, Ukraine has been undergoing constant Russian attacks, and MTW missionaries...
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