Hillsong Kiev Senior Pastor: “We Believe God For Our Protection”

Hillsong Kyiv’s senior pastor has spoken out as his city – and country – faces unprecedented attacks from Russia.

Yuriy Ravnushkin, the lead pastor in Kyiv, posted the video message below to encourage Hillsong members, and the church in general, to how the church is coping during such a difficult time.

After weeks of escalating tensions, on February 24, Russia orchestrated a military invasion of Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes to neighboring countries, while the capital of Kyiv is under siege and thousands are sheltering in any place of safety they can find.

While posting the video update, Pastor Yuriy told those around the world that they are believing in God for their protection.

“I want to give you an update on the situation in Ukraine right now,” Pastor Yuriy said. “First of all, I want to say that we are very united as a nation right now and the resistance is very strong. At the same time, the situation is very difficult because for the ten days we have war action in the country, a major city was bombed. So we are praying and we know you are praying.

“I want to thank all our global family for your prayers. We believe God for protection.”

When asked about the church, he stated: “The church (members) is scattered all over Ukraine and even abroad so we are trying to contact all of our people. For example, this week we have made over 1,500 calls and we are praying for people. We also support people physically with food and medicine and helping people to evacuate – especially ladies with their kids.

“So right now we trust God and only God. So I want to thank you for your prayers and support. We love you. From everybody here, I want to say thank you very much.”

Yuri and Tanya Ravnushkin hace been the lead pastors of the church since January 2015. The church has a history of helping orphanages in Kyiv and nearby, supporting sick people in hospitals treating cancer, reaching out to homeless children and inmates in correctional centers.

Hillsong Church has confirmed that it is continuing to pray for their church family in Kiev. It has rallied together to support them practically and financially, launching a financial appeal.

Officials say Vladimir Putin wrongly thought he could seize the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, within the first two days of the campaign. What he did not bank on was the strength and unity of Ukraine in fighting back.