16 WAPT’S CARLOS GARCIA, AND PHOTOGRAPHER NOAH CROWE SAT DOWN WITH HIM TO SHARE HIS STORY. CG FEBRUARY 24TH, 2022. RUSSIA BEGINS ITS FULL-SCALE ATTACK ON UKRAINE. ON THIS 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE START OF THE WAR, PEACE TALKS HAVE STALLED…AN END…NOWHERE IN SIGHT. THE REALITY OF LIVING IN FEAR IS THE CASE FOR ANDREI MURZIN, ONE OF THE MILLIONS OF UKRAINIANS IN KYIV. A PASTOR WITH THE KYIV THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, ANDREI HAS SEEN FIRSTHAND THE DESTRUCTION: FAMILIES AND HIS HOMELAND TORN APART… NOTHING NEW FOR UKRAINIANS IN THEIR BATTLES AGAINST THE GEOPOLICITAL GIANT. IN THE LARGEST GROUND WAR EUROPE HAS SEEN SINCE WORLD WAR II, WHAT WAS EXPECTED BY MANY TO LAST DAYS… HAS STRETCHED INTO YEARS. SIRENS RING THROUGH THE AIR OF UKRAINE’S CAPITAL CITY, WHILE DRONES AND MISSLE STRIKES OCCUPY THAT SAME AIRSPACE. AS THE WAR ENTERS ITS FIFTH YEAR, QUESTIONS REMAIN ABOUT HOW – AND WHEN – IT WILL END… AND AT WHAT COST. FOR 16WAPT NEWS, I’M CARLOS GARCIA
Ukrainian pastor speaks on anniversary of war with Russia
Millions like Pastor Andrei Murzin are living in fear and uncertainty in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv
February 24, 2022, marked the beginning of Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, and as the war enters its fifth year, peace talks have stalled with no end in sight.Andrei Murzin, a pastor with the Kyiv Theological Seminary, is among the millions of Ukrainians living in fear in Kyiv. Murzin has witnessed firsthand the destruction and the impact on families and his homeland. “Ukraine has been standing for 4 years primarily because of the grace of God,” Murzin said.Murzin expressed skepticism about negotiating with Russia, saying, “How can you make a deal with someone who constantly lies and breaks his promises?” He noted that Ukraine’s negative experiences with Russia span not just years, but centuries.The war, the largest ground conflict Europe has seen since World War II, has transformed daily life in Ukraine’s capital city: sirens ring through the air, while drones and missile strikes occupy the same airspace. “So when there are drones flying or missiles flying, sometimes we hear and we have to go to the basement. And yeah, that danger is quite real,” Murzin said.As the war continues, questions remain about how and when it will end, and at what cost. Murzin reflected on the necessity of fighting against evil, stating, “Sometimes we have to fight evil. It’s costly and not easy, but if we don’t fight evil, that can be even more costly.””You cannot make a deal or with Satan, you can only fight them. Same thing here with this war with Russia. I think we need to be steadfast and have courage to fight them, to continue fighting them,” Murzin said.
February 24, 2022, marked the beginning of Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, and as the war enters its fifth year, peace talks have stalled with no end in sight.
Andrei Murzin, a pastor with the Kyiv Theological Seminary, is among the millions of Ukrainians living in fear in Kyiv. Murzin has witnessed firsthand the destruction and the impact on families and his homeland.
“Ukraine has been standing for 4 years primarily because of the grace of God,” Murzin said.
Murzin expressed skepticism about negotiating with Russia, saying, “How can you make a deal with someone who constantly lies and breaks his promises?” He noted that Ukraine’s negative experiences with Russia span not just years, but centuries.
The war, the largest ground conflict Europe has seen since World War II, has transformed daily life in Ukraine’s capital city: sirens ring through the air, while drones and missile strikes occupy the same airspace.
“So when there are drones flying or missiles flying, sometimes we hear and we have to go to the basement. And yeah, that danger is quite real,” Murzin said.
As the war continues, questions remain about how and when it will end, and at what cost. Murzin reflected on the necessity of fighting against evil, stating, “Sometimes we have to fight evil. It’s costly and not easy, but if we don’t fight evil, that can be even more costly.”
“You cannot make a deal or with Satan, you can only fight them. Same thing here with this war with Russia. I think we need to be steadfast and have courage to fight them, to continue fighting them,” Murzin said.