UGCC Head in the 195th week of the war: Our prayers go out to cities with very eloquent names — Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the residents of Kyiv especially felt the presence of Archangel Michael among them. We experienced his protective power. This was stated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in his weekly video address marking the 195th week since the start of the full-scale invasion of our homeland by Russian troops. Yet, we remember and know that the war has been raging for almost 11 years now.
Myrnohrad. Photo: National Police of Ukraine
According to the Primate, this week will once again be engraved in the history of Ukraine, Europe, and the world as a week of heroic resistance by the Ukrainian people against the Russian occupiers.
“Our prayers were directed toward two cities with very meaningful names—Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad. It was there that the Russians amassed 170,000 of their troops — almost as many as invaded Ukraine at the start of the full-scale war. Now they are all concentrated in the heart of the Ukrainian Donbas,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The spiritual leader thanked our heroic defenders for holding back an enemy that surpasses us in numbers and cruelty, even in its brutality toward its own soldiers—everything we now associate with the words ‘army’ and ‘war’.
Concluding this heroic week, we once again express our gratitude to God and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for keeping us alive, for Ukraine’s resilience in this unequal struggle, and for demonstrating new wonders of resilience and the magnificence of our people’s spirit to the world.
This week was again marked by nightly air strikes on our peaceful cities and villages… “But today we affirm once again: we live by hope, by our faith in God. Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!” emphasized the Head of the Church.
Recently, all Christians in Ukraine, including the faithful of our Church, celebrated a special holiday — the Synaxis of Archangel Michael and All Heavenly Powers.
“We rediscover the presence of countless incorporeal heavenly powers, whom we call angels. Kyiv experiences this holiday in a special way, because it is dedicated to Archangel Michael, the patron and protector of our capital since the days of the princes,” said the spiritual leader.
The Head of the Church expressed special gratitude to Michael for his protection of our capital and the Ukrainian army. Two revolutions broke out on the day of the Synaxis of Archangel Michael—the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity. Archangel Michael is the patron saint of the Ukrainian army.
Read also:
Video Message of the Head of the UGCC on the 195th Week of the Full-Scale War, November 9, 2025
“Yesterday, we celebrated Air Assault Forces Day—one of the most combat-ready units in our army. Today, this archangel tells us that evil has already been defeated, even though it does not admit it. All of us who fight against evil—each on our own front, in our own calling and path in life—are only revealing this victory of good over evil, which has already been accomplished. And Archangel Michael is with us,” said the Primate.
The UGCC Department for Information
