My friend, Greg Yoder of Keys for Kids Ministries sends the following personal note on Facebook about the Russian invasion of the Ukraine:

“This has been a very difficult month. For the first time in a while I’m struggling. I KNOW God is in control. I KNOW God has a plan. I KNOW this world is not my home. But people’s suffering and evil men have me frustrated and discouraged. The plight of the Ukrainian people has affected me personally. I have friends that have been displaced. Friends relatives are in harms way. I also have dear friends in Russia who can’t say a word for fear they’ll be arrested and face 15 years in prison. I’ve never, ever understood evil and tragedy. I know the Bible verses. I know God’s ways aren’t our ways. I also know God gives people over to their own evil desires after rejecting Him over time. But people suffer. People are dying without Christ. Innocent children are suffering. I find myself more frustrated than hopeful today. The ONLY answer to these issues is Jesus. While many of us believe that, how many of us live this? My faith means everything to me. I don’t know where to turn apart from that. I’m sure there are others feeling similarly. That IS our only hope and the hope I’m resting in. There are some things we can do physically. We can help. My friend Sergey Rakhuba is at the border representing his ministry Mission Eurasia. $50 provides food and Scripture for a family of four for one week. Go here to watch a video and give. https://www.missioneurasia.org“

Copied from Greg Yoder’s Facebook post

Russian forces have captured Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant after striking it with a “projectile” causing a fire, leading to worries of a nuclear catastrophe that could affect Europe for decades.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is Russia’s latest prize, a key holding point near Enerhodar, Ukraine.   It was seized by Russian troops Friday morning after a dangerous and incredibly risky attack.

After some anxious overnight hours, threats of any nuclear danger were extinguished with reports the fire had been put out, and the reactor unit wasn’t damaged.

The nuclear plant operator reports managers are working at gunpoint.   Safety experts warn that waging war around nuclear facilities could mean extreme risks for the site which happens to be Europe’s biggest nuclear plant.

Friday, ministers of NATO met for an emergency meeting in Brussels to address the mounting crises.

“Every ally in one way or another is helping to strengthen NATO itself,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “And as the Secretary-General (Jens Stoltenberg) said, ours is a defensive alliance. We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us, we are ready and we will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

Ukraine is surrounded from all sides. Looming warships seen off the coast of the Black Sea threaten the city of Odessa, while inching closer to strategic southern port cities.

Courtesy CBN News

Russia’s Vladimir Putin crosses himself while bathing in the icy water in -4 degrees Fahrenheit temperatures during an Epiphany celebration near Moscow, Jan. 19, 2021. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

What does Russian President Vladimir Putin believe about God? That’s a fascinating question the world can’t answer “with any certainty,” according to Mark Tooley, president of The Institute on Religion and Democracy.

After all, there’s a difference between what Putin says and what he does — and there’s strangely a great deal of uncertainty and confusion intermingled with both.

“He had a devoutly Christian mother and has worn a crucifix around his neck for most of his life,” Tooley told Faithwire. “Certainly, he has embraced the patronage of the Russian Orthodox Church and used it to advance his own political purposes domestically and internationally, but that is a centuries-long tradition for Russia.”

Tooley explained that Russian Orthodoxy, to the outside world, might seem to position Putin’s country to be in perfect alignment with Western religious ideals, though fundamental differences between the cultures reveal stark incompatibilities.

Rather than spiritual compatriots, the Christian faith seen in many Western countries is radically different from the Russian rendition of self-described, government-aligned religiosity.

Read more at https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2022/march/what-does-vladimir-putin-believe-about-god-the-religious-backstory-in-the-shadows-of-the-ukraine-russia-battle

–Courtesy CBN News

‘A Fighting Spirit’: CBN News Captures Powerful Ukrainian Moments of Seeking God as Deadly Russian Assault Rages

CBN News’ senior international correspondent George Thomas continues to be in the middle of the Ukrainian war zone, sharing videos and images of the troubling, traumatic — and inspiring — events unfolding on the ground.

Amid the chaos of Russia’s invasion, Thomas has shown viewers what is happening in real-time, capturing the Ukrainian people’s spirit, grit, and determination.

“The general tone is one of determination, of courage, of a fighting spirit,” Thomas told Faithwire, noting that many of those he has spoken with on the street are in awe of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Somebody said to me, ‘He hasn’t even shaved, and look at the way he’s rallying the country, rallying the troops … he’s in the trenches.’”

Thomas said the Ukrainian forces’ success in holding back Russian troops thus far has “motivated the nation” as citizens rally to sustain their country from the ongoing Russian onslaught.

Courtesy CBN News

While Translating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Speech, A veteran interpreter broke down in tears as she relayed the leader’s remarks after the country survived yet another night of attacks by Russian troops.

“Russia is on the path of evil,” Zelenskyy said. “The world must deprive Russia of the right to vote on the U.N. Security Council.”

The interpreter then choked up when translating this comment from Zelenskyy: “Ukrainians, we know exactly what we are defending. We will definitely win. Last night was brutal in Ukraine. Again, the shelling, again the bombing of residential areas and civilian infrastructure.”

The unnamed interpreter for the German news outlet WELT could not translate the remainder of the Ukrainian president’s comments. After breaking down once more, she reportedly apologized before going off the air.

For his part, Zelenskyy — who has refused to flee his country despite threats against his safety — said Ukraine will fight as long as necessary to ensure its citizens’ freedom and autonomy from Russia.

“The night was hard,” he said Sunday. “The people rose to defend their state, and they showed their true faces. This is terror. They are going to bomb our Ukrainian cities even more. They are going to kill our children even more insidiously. This is an evil that has come to our land and must be destroyed.”

“If children are born in shelters, even when the shelling continues, then the enemy has no chance in this — undoubtedly — people’s war,” Zelenskyy continued. “To victory! Glory to Ukraine!”

Courtesy Faithwire

 

Russia warns a third World War would involve nuclear weapons

Russia claims to capture city of Kherson, but Ukraine denies

Russia on Wednesday is claiming to have captured the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, which has around 250,000 residents, according to Reuters.
But an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the news agency that “the city has not fallen, our side continues to defend” and that street fighting is ongoing there.
Overnight, the regional governor of the area reportedly said Kherson was surrounded and under fire while Russian forces were looting businesses.

Courtesy Fox News

China may emerge as the primary beneficiary of the Russia-Ukraine war

A former FBI special agent who worked on China and North Korea tells Fox News Digital.
“Ultimately, China is the big winner in the Russia-Ukraine War,” Steve Gray, a former FBI special agent who is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 4th Congressional District, said.
“They’ll be the primary beneficiary of the sanctions against Russia, the yen will benefit from the decline of the ruble, and they have been given a case study of what the world’s response would look like if they were to invade Taiwan.”
“It would not be surprising at all to learn that this is shaping up exactly as China planned,” Gray, who spent 10 years working as a supervisory special agent focused on China and North Korea, added.

Courtesy Fox News

Assassination Attempt On Zelensky Foiled After Tip-Off From Russian Spies, Ukrainian Official Claims

An assassination attempt on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was foiled and a Russian hit squad was “destroyed” after Ukrainians were tipped off by Russian spies, a Ukrainian official said Tuesday on Ukrainian television.

Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said “that his country received information about a planned assassination attempt on President Volodymyr Zelensky from agents of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB),” National Review reported.

“I can say that we received information from representatives of the FSB, who today have no desire to take part in this bloody war,” Danilov said.

“The Kadyrovites’ elite group, which came here specifically to eliminate our president, was directly destroyed,” the official added.

“Kadyrovites refers to a Chechen paramilitary group accused of a number of human-rights violations and abuses,” National Review noted. “They serve at the pleasure of Razman Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic and a close ally of Vladimir Putin.”

Courtesy the Daily Wire

 

Posters in a truck read ‘We will not kneel’ and ‘I will not comply’ during the gathering ahead of the departure of the People’s Convoy in Adelanto, Calif.

America’s trucker convoy could become the next Tea Party — just in time for the midterms.

Canadian truckers captivated headlines and drove Prime Minister Justin Trudeau mad. American truckers could do the same to President Joe Biden with a convoy departing Wednesday. Organizers report more than 1,000 trucks signed up to travel cross-country from California to Washington, DC, and anticipate the convoy will grow as it heads east.

Inspired by our neighbors to the north, organizers say, the convoy is going to the capital to seek an end to the federal emergency declaration.

The potent Tea Party made its mark in America’s 2010 midterm elections fighting bloated taxation. Could truckers fighting COVID mandates and restrictions spark a movement as powerful in November’s midterms? Polling is on their side, with heavy-handed rules steadily losing support.

Think of it this way: Tea Party = no taxation without representation. Truckers = no vaccination without self-authorization. The People’s Convoy organizer Mike Landis noted in a launch video that the group isn’t anti-vaccine, but it opposes mandates’ encroachment on civil liberties. (Even Trudeau conceded that 90% of Canadian truckers are vaccinated, though the American Trucking Association estimates 50% to 60% of US truckers are.)

“It’s up to you,” Landis said. “You want a vaccine? Take it. That’s the whole point of this. It’s about freedom, your freedom to choose what you feel is best for your life within the morals and the guidelines of our Constitution.”

–Picture and article Courtesy New York Post

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson says Ukrainians fleeing the warzone can join their families in the United Kingdom.

“As tensions remain high with Russia’s invading troops and tanks driving deeper into Ukraine, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that Ukrainians fleeing the invasion will be welcomed into the country if they have family in Britain.
“The U.K. will not turn our backs in Ukraine’s hour of need,” Johnson said in a statement, announcing that visa restrictions are being eased for Ukrainians who have immediate family in Britain, Reuters reported.
The prime minister also said at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Mayfair, London, Sunday night that the U.K. would be “very generous” toward Ukrainian refugees, The Telegraph reported.
Speaking to a group of Ukrainians at the Cathedral of the Holy Family, Johnson promised a system that would allow people to enter the country due to fear of persecution, to reunite with family or “other purposes.”
Family members eligible to apply for these visas are a spouse or civil partner, an unmarried partner of at least two years, children younger than 18, a parent if their child is younger than 18, and adult relatives who are carers, according to the BBC.
Johnson also announced that the U.K. would send over $53 million (£40 million) in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, including medical supplies to support those fleeing the invasion.
“We are providing all the economic and military support we can to help those Ukrainians risking everything to protect their country,” he was quoted as saying.”

Courtesy the Christian Post

Texas Governor John Abbott

Texas To Potentially Prosecute ‘Sex Change’ Surgeries On Minors As Child Abuse

In a letter last week, state Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) to investigate certain “so-called ‘sex change’ procedures” found to “constitute child abuse under existing Texas law.” Abbott cited an opinion by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

“[I]t is already against the law to subject Texas children to a wide variety of elective procedures for gender transitioning, including reassignment surgeries that can cause sterilization, mastectomies, removals of otherwise healthy body parts, and administration of puberty-blocking drugs or supraphysiologic doses of testosterone or estrogen,” Abbott wrote.

“Texas law imposes reporting requirements upon all licensed professionals who have direct contact with children who may be subject to such abuse, including doctors, nurses, and teachers, and provides criminal penalties for failure to report such child abuse,” he continued. “There are similar reporting requirements and criminal penalties for members of the general public.”

Courtesy the Daily Wire

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Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida

Japan has decided to join the United States and European allies in removing selected Russian banks from the SWIFT international financial messaging system, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Sunday.

Japan will also freeze assets of President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials, while sending $100 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Kishida told reporters.

“The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a unilateral attempt to change the status quo and the act shakes the foundation of the international order. It’s an outright violation to international law and we strongly denounce the act,” Kishida said. “Japan stands by the Ukrainian people who are fighting hard to defend their sovereignty and territory, their homeland and families.”

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that the U.S. needs to decrease its reliance on foreign oil by switching over to renewable energy, not increasing domestic production.  “We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, on oil in general, and we need to look at other ways of having energy in our country and others,” Psaki said during an interview with ABC This Week Sunday. “We’ve seen over the last week or so… a number of European countries are recognizing they need to reduce their own reliance on Russian oil.” Psaki’s comments come as fears grow that energy prices could continue to rise amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, with many NATO countries such as Germany dependent on Russian oil to fuel their countries.

Courtesy Fox News

BP is abandoning its stake in Russian oil giant Rosneft in an abrupt and costly end to three decades of operating in the energy-rich country, marking the most significant move yet by a Western company in response to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

Rosneft accounts for around half of BP’s oil and gas reserves and a third of its production and divesting the 19.75 percent stake will result in charges of up to $25 billion, the British company said, without saying how it plans to extricate itself.

“I have been deeply shocked and saddened by the situation unfolding in Ukraine and my heart goes out to everyone affected. It has caused us to fundamentally rethink BP’s position with Rosneft,” BP Chief Executive Bernard Looney said.

Courtesy Epoch News