Praying for Ukraine

Where the church stands in Ukraine

Before 2022 Ukraine had one of the largest evangelical communities in Europe; under the Soviet Union it was sometimes called the Bible belt of the USSR. Since the full-scale invasion, churches of every tradition have become aid hubs, shelters and evacuation points, and many pastors have stayed in front-line towns when others fled.

In occupied territory, human-rights groups have documented Protestant churches closed or seized and pastors detained or killed. Millions of Ukrainians remain displaced inside the country and abroad, and the church is carrying grief on a scale it has never known.

Signs of hope

A church that has earned trust across society by staying, serving and sharing through the war.

The honest difficulty

War, occupation, displacement and trauma, with churches in occupied areas closed or controlled.

What "Less-reached" means

There is a church, but it is small relative to the population, or the Christian identity is far more widespread than active faith. Much of the nation can still live a whole life without meeting a follower of Jesus.

In Ukraine the majority religious context is Christianity (~85%, mostly Orthodox). The largest population still considered without meaningful Gospel access is the Crimean Tatars and other Muslim minorities.

How to pray for Ukraine

Prayer is not a substitute for going; it is how going begins. Take one of these for a week rather than all of them for a day.

• Pray for peace and justice in Ukraine.
• Pray for believers and pastors in occupied territories.
• Ask God to comfort the grieving and heal the traumatised through His church.
• Pray for Crimean Tatars and other unreached minorities to hear the Gospel.