BAGS OF WINTER CLOTHING & FOOD ARE LOADED FOR THOSE DISPLACED BY RUSSIA’S INVASION OF UKRAINE
The past few days have been 48 hour days crammed into a 24 hour period…Many visits; many experiences; many heartaches balanced by many joyful moments…The trip is just about finished as Mike and I are in Kyiv for the final 48 hours. This may be the last report until I return to the States.
Mike Lawson’s presence on the trip has been invaluable in many ways. I warned him in July as we discussed his coming with me that he would be in for a memorable adventure! His expertise and experience with the medical equipment was used frequently. His concern and compassion is clearly evident. His willingness to be an ambassador for Christ is exceptional! With Mike’s presence we were able to multiply the contacts of this trip. His interpreter Olya was fantastic—always thinking ahead as to what needed done, always prompt and helpful with even the smallest tasks, never a reluctance in any request!
And now for some thoughts on the situation in Ukraine…
UNTIL MAY…it is becoming more and more evident just how sinister and evil Russia has been in the months and years leading up to the invasion of Crimea, Donetsk, and Lugansk. The entire army of Ukraine was systematically degraded. Now it is finally becoming public knowledge how Russia had bribed the Generals and Militia commanders of Ukraine’s security forces. Putin had everything lined up except his puppet Yanukovich blundered his way into what now appears the salvation of Ukraine. Yanukovich was a public fool—his speeches were laughable. But the tragedy of his “reign” is seen in the devastation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and almost erasure as a nation. And Putin’s Russia was proceeding very well until May…
UNTIL MAY…Russia was embraced by the world. Those who sought to portray Russia’s cruelty and inhumanity and true evil were ignored. But now Russia AND RUSSIANS are exposed and identified with their true colors. Some try to say it is a “civil war” but that is a lie—it is an invasion with the greatest cruelty possible. As one battalion commander told me “The war is real.”
Russia is controlled by a megalomaniac and Russians are identified with him. As long as Putin reigns then Russia and Russians are colored with the blood of the evil deeds that have transpired. Yes! To those in Russia reading this realize that YOU are colored with the blood of your brothers who have been murdered and massacred in the name of “Russia’s protection.” HOW LONG will you be blind to your true character?? An assistant battalion commander told me that there are documented reports of Ukrainian troops being taken captives and shot by the Russian officers! In one situation one of the Russian officers personally knew one of the Ukrainians, they had gone to school together, and the Russian let him go but not the other captives…they were murdered! All in the name of Russian “liberation.” And the Russian people applaud this action!
UNTIL MAY…1.7 MILLION people lived life in a normal manner. They enjoyed the comfort of their own homes. Their greatest concern was whether there would be enough rain for a good crop from their gardens. Then they awoke one morning and realized they had to grab what meager possessions they could place in a plastic bag and run for their lives because Russia’s “protection” was devastating cities and towns and Russia’s anarchists found bases in Ukraine where they could become little Tsars!
UNTIL MAY…there was man in Mariupol who lived with his wife and children. He was involved in private business ventures. And then everything changed. I want to share with you portions of his story but cannot provide pictures or specific details for security purposes (the Russians are reading this and they pass along any information that will assist their evil anarchy).
I met with Dmitry and we discussed the military situation. He was one of the founding members of the Donbass Battalion. To understand these groups you need to go back to the beginning…go back to May 2014. Crimea had been invaded by Russia. Following the capture and occupation of Crimea the Russians sent covert ops into southern and southeast Ukraine. Russia had thought there was no real army left to defend the nation and an easy “blitzkrieg” would conquer the southern half of Ukraine thus establishing the first part of his “New Russia.”
But Putin failed to factor in the spirit of Ukrainians who love their land. In various sections of the nation there gravitated into groups men and women who were going to defy Russia and defend their country.
Putin had “bought” many of the Militia commanders and many of the military command and they were in his pocket. But there had not been factored in the patriotic spirit of Ukraine because such a spirit is foreign to Russian thinking. There yet remains some significant actions to be exposed that will show this corruption in the highest levels beyond any doubt.
Patriotic “battalions” sprang up spontaneously and were instantly labeled by Putin’s media propagandists as “hooligans” and “criminals.” Russia’s propaganda worked hard to give these groups the worst label—and many were deceived and Russians accepted this and blindly follow Putin. Russia is now exposed as a barbaric international criminal whose ruthless evil is parallel to, if not greater than, Hitler’s Nazis. But still Russians today prefer to accept the delusion offered by Putin.
The various battalions refused to give in to the corrupt militia and media pressures. They refused to back down when the corrupt Generals would not offer military protection and responses. I have seen pictures of those in May who went to fight armed Russians with only a shovel and axe handle!
The first photo of the Donbass Battalion numbers 54 men—ages 19-62. They are portrayed in a group sitting or lying under a tree. Some look somber while others have a youthful countenance. One is nicknamed “Croatia.”
As Dmitry talked of the founding members of the Donbass Battalion he began listing those who were killed. One, age 61, was shot and killed at a road checkpoint early in May. Another, with a wife and 3 children, was captured by the Russian supported anarchists and his heart was cut out and the video was on YouTube for a time! (Russia—DO YOU HEAR THIS??? HOW PROUD CAN YOU BE OF SUCH SAVAGERY? SUCH BEHAVIOR IS BEYOND THE ANIMALS WHO DO NOT DO THIS TO THEIR OWN???).
And there is “Croatia.” He was wounded in a firefight as a grenade blast broke his leg in two places. Even though wounded he remained in position and as the other wounded were evacuated he remained until the second car came to rescue the men and it was only then that it was discovered he had a broken leg. I have seen the video of this firefight and saw Croatia telling others to leave their weapons so he could have supplies to cover those leaving. Croatia recovered and was among those defending the Donetsk Airport. He was again wounded at the airport and evacuated. He was patched up and has now gone back to defend the Donetsk Airport!
One by one Dmitry listed those who had fallen. Out of the original 54, 32 have been murdered by Russians.
In recent months the Donbass Battalion has received more support from the Defense Ministry of Ukraine. It has grown in numbers and today is a proud unit. But its endurance is attributable ONLY to the private sector! At the beginning the government was of absolutely no use. If it had not been for the private citizens becoming involved the successes would not have happened!
One comment from Dmitry cannot be forgotten.
As we sat looking at that photo of the founding members of the Donbass Battalion, Dmitry said, “At the beginning our 54 had only SIX SHOTGUNS and TWO HUNTING RIFELS.” Yet they took on the Russian military machine and stopped it! But 6 shotguns and 2 hunting rifles cannot forever last…
I think back to that afternoon’s conversation and I cannot help but hear the patriotic echo of “Glory to Ukraine!” Answered by the rejoinder, “Glory to the heroes!”
As history’s chronicles of this tragic event are read in the future it will become very clear that Russia is still an “Evil Empire” and all associated with that nation join in her evil deeds. You can try to explain it away; you can try to ignore it; you can try to remain deluded by propaganda’s evil words BUT eventually you will be forced to admit that your pride in Russia is based upon a congratulation of pure EVIL. History will validate this conclusion.
The chronicles of history will also record an embarrassing note about the response of those in the USA to this evil invasion of Russia…
Absolutely NOTHING has been done by our government’s current Administration to assist those fighting for their freedom against a military machine that threatens the entire world’s security.
It seems that the “latitude” of the United States of America Administration does not allow even for non-lethal supplies to those who are fighting for their lives against Putin’s Russia.
The only responses from the USA have come from the private sector!
NOTHING has been done by the United States Senate or the House of Representatives—NOTHING! Some have offered EMPTY WORDS of support. Some have stood in Kyiv’s Maydan and congratulated Ukraine’s freedom fighters but they return to Washington, DC and do NOTHING!
Only the private citizens have responded to assist us fund relief for the orphaned, widowed, displaced, and wounded. Thus far we have shipped ten relief containers and all has been from the private sector!
The reality of Russia’s aggression is not lost on others in the world. I met an officer in charge of training the new volunteers. He was from Azerbaijan. When we met he said “I am here to fight Russia. I fought them at Karabakh (a region in Azerbaijan that Russian wanted to take to give to Armenia located behind the Caucasus Mountains. This was in 1987 during Soviet times when the world blindly ignored Russian atrocities.). No one in the world stopped Russia then and I am here to do what I can to stop them now.”
Another officer at the training center was from Armenia. There are others that have come to assist Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s evil invasion. One American was killed during the last days before the so-called ceasefire took place. He was in Mariupol.
Why is it that so many see Russia’s evil but so many refuse to “see” it?
Realize this simple fact…the war is a reality! In the last 48 hours an ambulance sped to unload a member of Ukraine’s Army at a hospital in Donetsk. The litter was offloaded. The soldier was in agony. He had been stabilized at the front and moved quickly to a hospital that is barely within the control of Ukraine’s forces. The man had been within range of Russian artillery and a shell exploded and cut off both legs. There is no ceasefire. There is no secure border. There is absolutely NO TRUTH in Russian words! Those who still are within Donetsk and Lugansk have received repeated warnings to get out. The war is a reality!
The closing days of this trip have been spent in a number of different ways. I sent out the Ukraine Update #7 report about the distribution that Mike and I have assisted in during these last few days. We close our trip with more meetings and contacts. Upon our return each of us will be sending a full report to those who have help support financially our trip’s expenses and the various works done on this visit.
I asked Mike for a brief summary to put at the end. Here is what he wrote:
“As I reflect on the past 23 days in Ukraine I can describe them as productive, long, busy, tiring, challenging, well organized, and of course filled with gratitude wherever we went.
I have been very blessed and fortunate to have made this journey with John. I have visited parts of Ukraine where I had never been.
I can get on the homebound plane this Saturday with the feeling of a mission well done, but at the same time with a sense that there is so much to do for so many and so few resources with which to do it.
I am impressed with the outpouring of love and gratitude for John and the expressed and sincere thanks for the Christians in America who make his work possible. It was not in one or two cities or villages where I witness this outpouring of love, but in every village we visited. I witnessed the results and impact on the lives of so many that came about through his efforts and those who support him to make his efforts possible.
I witnessed a new brother and sister being born into the brotherhood through baptism while in the City of Ivano-Frankivsk. I witnessed the dreams of a vibrant and growing Church. We visited the grounds where a new gathering place is to be built. I met many of the men and women who surround Ivan Skoleba as he serves the Lord there.
I witnessed supplies, donated by you, being distributed to refugees in Uman, in Zhytomyr, Zaporzhye, and elsewhere.
I met Nicholai, an incredible man who tirelessly works serving the Lord and his country in 47 cities: A man who uses to the maximum the gifts that God gave him to care for others; A man who brings out the best in others to do likewise. I helped load a truck with supplies headed to the war zone.
I sat with the Deputy Commander of the Donbas Battalion: a group of volunteers who so valiantly serve Ukraine to keep her free. I saw loss on the face of the Commander as we witnessed a firefight captured on video as he told of his comrades who fell victim to hired mercenaries of an evil Vladimir Putin.
I saw love on the face of paraplegic men as I walked into their homes. I saw an infectious smile on the face of eight-two year old Lyudmila as she sat on the side of her bed.
I felt a people who love their country and who begged us to ask our President for help so that they could defend their country. ‘I only want to live in peace, why does Russia attack us,’ they would say.
Tears ran down my cheeks as I stood on Mydan listening to a seventy-six year old tell of his experience amidst the tens of thousands who rose up for freedom. Among the memorials and photos of the one-hundred freedom fighters who gave their lives, I listened as he quoted a prayer asking God to keep his country free. I apologize for the use of the personal pronoun ‘I,’ but it is ‘I’ who is blessed to have made this journey and it is ‘I’ who now must depart being both richer for the experience, but feeling inadequate with my meager efforts.
Thank you John, for your unwavering support of Ukraine.
There are no words that can capture the feelings that I, John, Tanya, or Olya have. There are only the words of gratitude that we are your Ambassadors for Christ only made possible by your support.
May God bless you and may God bless your work here in Ukraine.”
I join with Mike and thank you for your financial support and prayers for the brethren in Ukraine and for the welfare of the Lord’s Church in Ukraine!
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Kyiv, Ukraine
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