Ukraine: Stories of hope amid heartache

This week marks one year since Russia triggered the largest armed conflict in Europe since 1945. As the war continues, Emma Fowle takes a look at the people and places still affected, and how the Church is helping

A year after the first Russian rockets landed on Ukrainian soil, the toll on Europe’s second-largest country has been immense. Intense shelling, particularly in the east and south, has reduced large swathes of the country to rubble, with cities such as Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipro paying a particularly heavy price. Exact numbers are still hard to come by, but estimates from the Ukrainian government and the United Nations (UN) indicate that tens of thousands of people have died. 

From the now-infamous siege of Mariupol (February-May 2022) to the blockading of ports and the targeting of energy infrastructure, hospitals and civilian populations, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the second world war. According to the UN, at least 5.9 million refugees have now fled the country, and another 8 million have been internally displaced. Within one month of the start of the conflict, more than half of Ukraine’s children had lost their homes.