Video Message of the Head of the UGCC on the 206th Week of the Full-Scale War, January 25, 2026
Christ is born!
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!
This Sunday marks the 206th week of Russia’s full-scale invasion of our homeland—the 206th week of a terrible war in Ukraine and Europe.
This week has truly been a week of heroic struggle for humanity, human life, light, and warmth. Heavy fighting is taking place along the entire front line from the north, our Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv regions, all the way to the south, to our Odesa and Zaporizhzhia. Our fervent prayers go to our Zaporizhia, to the wonderful and glorious city of Huliaipole, to our Kharkiv and Kupiansk, where our soldiers are repelling growing enemy attacks in the depths of winter.
But this week will be remembered by all of us for Russia’s unprecedented attacks on the civilian population. At a time when international talks are being held in Davos and the United Arab Emirates on an energy truce and other ways to stop this terrible, sacrilegious war, Russia is launching increasingly active strikes on peaceful cities and villages. The epicenter of this week’s strikes was our capital—the city of Kyiv.
The last time we experienced such a massive strike on Kyiv was on the night of January 24. Notably, Russia launched this combined strike using weaponry that had not been used in this war for a long time. Russia fired 12 anti-ship missiles at a peaceful city. The last time such missiles struck was in Dnipro, where an entire apartment building was destroyed. This time, 12 missiles were fired at one city—Kyiv. And here, 12 missiles were fired at one city, Kyiv.
These are very obvious signs of crimes against humanity, against international law, against the rules and moral norms of warfare. The goal is to destroy Ukraine's infrastructure, particularly its energy sector, and freeze Ukrainians. However, it is striking that while our enemies may be attempting to demoralize us by attacking the civilian population, each such assault only makes us stronger. Each such tragedy brings Ukrainians closer together.
It is amazing to look into the faces of our men, women, girls, boys, elderly people, and children who are going to church this morning in Kyiv, praying and demonstrating the highest levels of heroism, courage, and resilience in such circumstances. Try to imagine that if there is no heat or light in a multi-story building in Kyiv, then immediately the apartment, the dwelling, turns into a cold trap, where the air temperature is only a few degrees higher than the temperature outside. And in those days in Kyiv, the temperature dropped below 10 degrees every day. In such circumstances, the sewage system and water supply immediately freeze.
How, in such conditions, do our people demonstrate their utmost resilience while maintaining their faith in God? I think that anyone who looks at these people cannot help but be in awe. And here in Kyiv, we thank the Lord God for the people He has given to the Ukrainian land today.
And on behalf of those known and unknown heroes who demonstrate the pinnacle of devotion, freedom, and truth on the front lines and in the rear, on behalf of those children who live in those cold Kyiv homes, we want the whole world to hear the voice from Kyiv, which once again declares: Ukraine stands, Ukraine fights, Ukraine prays!
Today, on this Sunday, I would like to express our deep gratitude to all those who, despite Russian shelling, are tirelessly restoring our infrastructure and providing our homes with heat and light, water, and other necessities so that life can go on. Special thanks go to Ukrainian energy workers, rescuers, and services of various types, who are working day and night, without rest, to save human lives.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who stand in solidarity with us today. In particular, I would like to thank our Polish friends and the city of Warsaw, which has raised over 5 million zlotys and continues to collect funds to support Kyiv. This is yet another unprecedented example of international solidarity between the two capitals – Warsaw and Kyiv. We thank all those who have given their last penny from Warsaw to Kyiv to save human lives!
This Sunday, we also conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is becoming part of our culture to be a Christian in Ukraine and to pray for our unity. We pray together, representatives of different Churches and denominations. We pray by visiting each other’s churches and shrines. We pray for the same thing. We ask God to heal the wounds of our disunity and division. We ask God for visible and complete unity among the disciples of Jesus Christ. And we see what fruit this prayer yields. Today, we respond in full unity to all the challenges of war.
Today, as Christians, we are united in our concrete action—the action of serving and saving lives in Ukraine. And in this way, we oppose any instrumentalization, any use of religion, especially Christianity, to serve the powerful of this world.
In particular, I would like to recall today that the Council of Christian Churches of Ukraine issued another statement condemning Russia’s oppression of Christian churches and the weaponization of religion.
We also expressed our solidarity with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, who recently withstood a personal attack by Russian foreign intelligence through various public statements. Today, we, the Christians of Ukraine, are united in prayer, work, and service to the Lord God. And we hope that this prayer for unity by the suffering Christians of Ukraine will be heard by the Lord God and will become a treasure of Christian culture in the third millennium.
God, bless Ukraine! God, send Your archangel Michael with heavenly forces to defend Your children, Your Church, and our homeland. Lord, bestow upon Ukraine Your righteous peace! Inspire the hearts of all those who today, at the highest international and intergovernmental levels, seek ways to restrain the aggressor and stop the war.
God, bless the long-suffering Ukrainian land with Your 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.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
