Russia invested $1.3 billion in death of Ukrainians in one day of attack: Head of the UGCC in the 98th week of the war
The last week of 2023 was one of the most difficult of the year. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, said this in a traditional video message on the 98th week of the full-scale war that the Russian aggressor brought to Ukrainian land.
The aftermath of a missile attack in Kyiv on December 29, Photo: AP/Picture Alliance
The Primate noted that every night, the cities and villages of Ukraine trembled under air attacks. And December 29, 2023, will likely go down in the history of our country as the bloodiest day as Russia launched its most massive air attack.
“Experts estimate the entire arsenal of weapons used by Russia in this massive attack on Ukraine at 1 billion 300 million US dollars. What a tremendous investment in death and war!” the Head of the Church noted regretfully.
Therefore, His Beatitude Sviatoslav continued, in these days, we are extinguishing fires, treating the wounded, burying the dead, wiping away our tears. We call upon the whole world, the international community, to condemn this unprecedented crime committed by the Russian aggressor against humanity: “We wish the whole world to hear that despite everything, Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!”
As the spiritual leader concludes another harrowing year of the great war, he expresses special gratitude to our soldiers, acknowledging their dedication in fighting this year so we can continue living: “As we enter the New Year, we must look into the face of a Ukrainian soldier who is ready to give his life for his homeland.”
He said that these days he was visited by one of the soldiers who chose the call-sign “David” because, as he says, he likes to reflect on the psalms.
“When he recited his poetry,” the Primate continued, “I felt the mysticism of love in the time of war flow from the lips of this young believer. He sang the famous hymn of love of the Apostle Paul in the 13th chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians.”
Having such soldiers, young men, and women, His Beatitude Sviatoslav is convinced, who are ready to unveil the mysticism of true, pure love for their native people, for the Motherland, even in times of war, we can confidently advance into the New Year.
“We enter it with love for God and for the Motherland because we see that it never fails,” the spiritual leader emphasized.
The UGCC Department for Information
