Address by the Head of the UGCC for the 237th Week of the Full-Scale War, August 31, 2026
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
This Sunday, we continue to count the weeks, days, and nights of this horrific, devastating war, which claims terrible casualties in Ukraine every day and night.
We are now counting down its 237th week. This week will probably go down in history as one in which sorrow and joy intermingled in Ukraine.
We celebrated the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s restoration of independence. A wealth of distinguished guests from abroad came to Ukraine—heads of state, leaders of various international institutions, members of the clergy, and representatives of the global Ukrainian community. But at the same time, the Russians continued their systematic, deadly attacks across Ukraine.
This week, for some reason, the main targets of Russian strikes were shopping centers and logistics warehouses where food and household goods were stored—the essentials people need to live and thrive.
The greatest wound inflicted on Ukraine this week, however, was the Russian long-range drone strike on the “Sunny Gallery” shopping center in Kryvyi Rih. Within 30 minutes, two drones struck the site, killing people and maiming rescue workers who had rushed to the scene of the tragedy. It took several days to clear the rubble. We now know that at least 16 civilians were killed and 128 were wounded. Among them were 23 children.
Just imagine: in the middle of the day, when this shopping mall was bustling with people who had come to do their shopping, the murderous hand of the Russian aggressor struck right there.
We express our condolences to all the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and we extend our prayers, solidarity, and support to the Kryvyi Rih community.
Similarly, the Russians attacked Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Sumy every night. In particular, Kyiv was targeted by drone attacks that lasted more than a day. And in the Kyiv region, satellite towns like Brovary, Boryspil, and Vasylkiv—which indeed have a plethora of storage facilities—were at the center of these attacks.
We also wish to pay special attention to and thank Pope Leo XIV and the Holy See for their extraordinary diplomatic efforts this week.
On August 25, 26, and 27, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the head of papal diplomacy and Secretary for Relations with States, visited Moscow. His visit to Moscow can truly be compared to a descent into Hades, where a sermon on the Resurrection of the Dead resounds from the depths of Hades.
His Excellency Archbishop Gallagher stated unequivocally that there is no military solution to the Russian war in Ukraine. He condemned this war. The Pope’s call to finally sit down at the negotiating table was made explicitly clear.
It was indeed another attempt to stop the aggressor. Interestingly, the word “peace” was spoken right where war is brewing today. The call to stop was heard right where Russia is currently hatching new aggressive plans not only against Ukraine but against all of Europe. While Russia speaks of yet another escalation it intends to carry out in Ukraine, the voice of the Holy Father’s representative called for a return to negotiations.
We supported this diplomatic mission of the Holy See with our prayers and thank the Holy Father for his tireless advocacy for a just peace, particularly in Ukraine.
Therefore, as we conclude this week, we wish today to thank the Lord God and the Armed Forces of Ukraine once again for preserving our lives; for Ukraine’s relentless pursuit of truth and its continued efforts to build peace in Ukraine and across Europe. And we wish to reiterate: Ukraine stands firm, Ukraine fights on, Ukraine prays!
Yesterday, as we celebrated the Feast of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, Ukraine observed a Day of Prayer for all those who have fallen in the war—those who gave their lives defending their homeland.
We not only pray for the souls of the fallen, but on this day we also embrace with our prayers and genuine Christian love all those who are grieving and experiencing loss. However, we do not merely pray for the dead; we do not only seek to learn from the lessons of history; neither do we simply remember the past. Today, Ukraine is building its future.
This Sunday, all of our parishes held special blessing services for schoolchildren, students, and teachers who are starting a new school year this week. The opportunity to study and attend school amid the war is a distinct privilege, but also a special mission. We see that one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this war is the number of children who have been killed or wounded.
According to UN data, at least 3,946 children have been killed or wounded in Ukraine since February 2022. These are children whose childhoods have been stolen by the war. However, Russia is also systematically destroying the very sphere of education and upbringing.
Today, Ukrainian schools, Ukrainian higher education institutions, and education as a whole are the very spaces where the future is being shaped. And that is why, by destroying schools, kindergartens, and educational institutions, Russia seeks to rob us of our future.
As of July 29, 2026, 4,650 educational institutions in Ukraine had been damaged, and 423 schools had been completely destroyed. Behind those numbers are the faces of real children, teachers, and parents who have been deprived of the opportunity to study, receive an education, grow, and develop.
But on September 1, 3.5 million schoolchildren and students in Ukraine will take their seats at their desks. Indeed, every time teachers enter a lecture hall or classroom, and every time students sit down at their desks, that is the moment when Ukraine’s victory and its future are forged.
I would like to congratulate our educators, schoolchildren, university students, and their parents on the start of the new academic year. Your Mother Church, as the mother and teacher of its people, accompanies you on this journey toward the land of knowledge. I ask parents to help their children take their seats at their desks, because the education and upbringing of children are an integral part of parenthood itself. Raising a child and helping them receive a quality education is a shared responsibility of parents, schools, the Church, and society as a whole. A quality education is always intertwined with enlightenment, for all knowledge of the truth—scientific truth and the truth about the created world—is inherently connected to the knowledge of that Truth, who is our Lord Jesus Christ, our Teacher with a capital “T.”
We will pray that the Lord God bless this sacred work of our educators, upon which depends our ability to raise the builders of Ukraine who will sustain our nation once this war ends.
Therefore, today, as we look into the faces of our children on their way to school, and as we look at the underground schools being built (there are currently 100 underground schools in Ukraine, and another 100 will have been built by the end of the year), we ask the Lord God for peace for our homeland, Ukraine.
May the Lord God, who is our Lord and Teacher, and who is also the Prince of Peace, bless our long-suffering Ukraine with His righteous, heavenly peace.
The blessing of the Lord be upon you, through His grace and love for mankind, always, now and forever, and for the ages of ages. Amen.
Glory to Jesus Christ!
