Ukrainians Are Proclaiming Their Resilience Through Music

Russian attacks on Ukraine have become more brutal in recent weeks. Incapable of victory at the front, the Russians have turned, as they have in numerous wars in the past, to a strategy of punish and destroy. The Russians have increased their bombardment of civilian targets, thinking they can pound Ukrainians into submission. Instead, Russian inhumanity has only increased Ukrainian humanity.

Ukrainians across the country have fallen back on one of humankind’s most elemental forms of expressing community and solidarity: they have begun singing. Perhaps the performances are not polished; perhaps they do not merit the attention of music critics. They are simple expressions of humanity, resistance, and resilience. They offer a powerful sign that Russia cannot win this war with bombs and drones alone.

Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, has suffered rocket attacks aimed at civilians throughout the war. Somehow, despite the intense shelling, the city continues to function. Those passing through a major intersection downtown as they gather the necessities of life might encounter Viktor. A gently eccentric, bearded pensioner, he perches on a building ledge surrounded by pigeons wearing a jaunty white cap, puffing on his pipe, and looking a bit like Santa Claus. He holds a hand-cranked music box on his lap, which he turns round and round as he greets passersby.

In hard-hit Mykolaiv, where the bombs fall at least nightly, an engineer named Pavel and his mates have continued to gather at Rock Hata, a basement bar. The club has continued despite air raids, blackouts, and a 9 p.m. citywide curfew. The tough-edged sound of rock provides a moment of shared solace each night. As they gather, Pavel and the others proclaim, through action and song, that Russia can never win.

Ukraine’s capital Kyiv has been hit harder and harder by drone and missile attacks, which have obliterated important water and electric facilities. As the lights go out, musicians set up in the streets, offering a wide range of musical genres. Perhaps they only play for themselves; perhaps a small audience forms in the dark around them. Such proclamations of humanity through song demonstrate a resilience undiminished by Russian bombs.

Ukrainian musicians have even taken to playing at the front. Street musician Moisey Bondarenko took his violin with him after signing up to fight. He began playing for himself during breaks in the fighting. A comrade in arms filmed him performing in a vacant field during one of these breaks and posted a video of his performance online, where it collected thousands of views and shares. (Click below)

Spontaneous musical performances arise across Ukraine no matter how brutal the Russian onslaught has become. Music in a myriad of forms—folk, classical, rock, professional, amateur, and novice—continues to fill the Ukrainian air. Ukrainians, through their music, are proclaiming their steadfastness, their resistance, and their resilience.
By Blair A. Ruble, Kennan Institute.

Current Needs

Our sincere thanks to you and all the compassionate, generous people in HART's community in Canada and the USA. Your prayers and financial support have been so encouraging to our entire network of National Churches and Pastors in Ukraine, who are grateful for your partnership with them.

You are allowing them and their churches to be Christ's hands and feet to the needy. They are seeing the power of love unfolding through the courage and sacrifice of the volunteers from their churches.

As the war continues, HART's objective is to continue resourcing these churches to better serve their communities during this winter of war. The list below will give you a sense of where our greatest needs are currently focussed:

Purchasing generators - fuel for transportation – firewood – coal and wood-burning heaters – clothing – thermal underwear – medicines – food for refugees – portable power banks/stations – propane heating elements – church heating/electrical costs – evacuation assistance (transportation expenses) – housing rent for refugees and the restoration of official documents for refugees

Thanks for choosing to partner with HART as we provide help and hope to desperate people during this war. If you feel led to take advantage of the MATCHING GIFT opportunities for December, our humble thanks on behalf of Church partners all over Ukraine.

PRAYER POINTS

Here are specific prayer points that can help guide our prayers for the situation in Ukraine. Please share these with your friends and family:

1. Pray for and ask to see God's glory amid this great struggle. God often uses dire situations to draw people to himself. Pray that He would be glorified through the people of Ukraine who are following him.

2. Pray for God's peace to be a source of strength for the thousands of Ukrainian workers/volunteers who will have opportunities to share with others about God's love.

3. Pray for God's protection over Christian volunteers. Ask God for their physical and spiritual protection — ask Him to help people seek the truth during the conflict.

4. Ask God for comfort. Many families lost fathers, sons, and loved ones during this tragic war. Millions have been uprooted from their homes. Their world has been turned upside down.

5. Ask God to intervene. Pray for wisdom for world leaders. Pray that God would move in their hearts and guide their steps and plans.

6. Pray for President Zelensky and the leaders of Ukraine to know God's truth and peace and be transformed by his Holy Spirit so that they would seek to lead their country in the way of peace.

7. Ask that this conflict would open doors of opportunities for the gospel. Pray that He would make his name known across Ukraine, Russia, and all the European countries that refugees are fleeing to due to this conflict.


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