“In general, the war has a simplifying effect on the church. We aren’t worried anymore about bells and whistles, lights and stages. If we have a room with some chairs and maybe a guitar, we don’t need anything else. And it is still meeting every spiritual need.”

On Friday, Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky disagreed publicly and heatedly over the handling of the war between Russia and Ukraine. In the end, Zelensky left without signing a proposed mineral rights agreement between the United States and Ukraine and without a clear next step to ending the three-year-long war.

In Ukraine, the fallout was “pretty discouraging,” said American missionary Caleb Suko, who has lived in Ukraine with his family since 2007. “The feeling amongst Ukrainians and in the churches is [that we’ve been] betrayed by America and by President Trump.”

At the same time, he says, “I hear people saying this might be meant to teach Ukrainians that they should not rely on America to save them, but on God. We can see how God is using this to shift affections and hope in things.”

Suko felt that shift as well.

“As an American, it was sad for me to see President Trump not supporting a country that has freedom and democracy,” he said. “It helps to remember my most important citizenship is in heaven, and I think Ukrainian believers are sensing that more than ever now too. If they’re going to have peace through victory in this war, we’re going to have to give that praise to God, not to America or to any other country.”

The Gospel Coalition asked Suko about the mood in Ukraine, how the churches have been faring, and how he has seen God at work.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It’s been more than three years. How is the general mood of the country?

In general, the war has a wearing-down effect on people. They’re tired, and they’re feeling a hopelessness, wondering if this thing is ever going to end.

How are the churches doing?

Ukraine is a large country, so it’s hard to generalize. It depends a lot on where the church is. Certainly, many churches are smaller than they were before since many people have fled the country. But some are growing.

You see a contrast between the churches that decided, back in 2022, to hunker down and try to survive versus those that saw this as an opportunity for the gospel. They housed fleeing people, used their vehicles to help with evacuations, started soup kitchens, or gave out basic food or hygiene products. Some Ukrainians came only for the resources, but there were people who were touched by the gospel and they ended up staying. Those churches are healthier and often growing.

In the last six months, the overwhelming difficulty for all churches in Ukraine is that we’re losing our young men. They’re being drafted, they’re away fighting, or they’re being injured or killed. Some are fleeing the country illegally.

The men who are still around are often unable to participate in ministry because they are afraid to leave their homes. In Ukraine, the draft does not work like it does in America. You don’t get a letter in the mail. Instead, recruiters roam around the city and set up checkpoints. If a man of fighting age—between 25 and 60—is spotted, the recruiters can draft him.

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