Family News Service / Karol Darmoros
Appeal to the UN
The attacks covered many regions of Ukraine. According to Kyiv, it was the largest offensive since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. In the Ukrainian capital, a missile hit a residential building, killing at least 24 people, including three children. Ukraine responded on the night of May 16-17 with a large drone attack on Russian territory, in which at least four people died.
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations emphasized that the Russian Federation, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, “once again flagrantly disregarded international humanitarian law and showed the whole world the complete immorality, criminality, and inhumane nature of the ideology and practice of ‘Rashism’ – modern fascism.”
Peace and justice
According to “The Tablet,” the Council appealed to the UN for the organization to “demonstrate determination and political will in establishing a just peace.” It called for Russia to be condemned and for sanctions against Russian politicians and religious leaders to be tightened. As emphasized, they are “complicit in crimes against humanity in Ukraine, approving and encouraging them.”
More brutal attacks
“If the bombings continue with such intensity, it is not a good sign. On the contrary, it indicates a willingness to continue the war,” said Archbishop Kulbokas.
The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, reported that about 95% of the targets hit were residential buildings or civilian infrastructure. “The more we talk about peace and ending the war, the more brutal the enemy’s attacks become,” he wrote in a Sunday message.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, recalled on the anniversary of the end of World War II that “evil must be exposed, stopped, and punished.” “We cannot speak of reconciliation when killings, destruction, and human suffering continue,” he emphasized.
