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Ukraine Still Needs Our Prayers!
Donetsk, Ukraine (CNN)
Masked men with metal rods and Molotov cocktails prowl the Russian flag-draped balcony, surveying the crowds below. Stacks of tires topped with ribbons of razor wire line a makeshift barricade around the main entrance.
Two days after smashing their way in, hundreds of protesters have transformed this government building in the industrial city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, into the self-declared "People's Republic of Donetsk."
From the clumsily erected bulwarks to the lack of a leader or concrete plan, the scenes are similar to the pro-European rallies in Kiev's Maidan Square in recent months, with one major difference: Many of these protesters say they want to join Russia and have called for a referendum on secession from Ukraine to be held by May 11.
Nobody knows for sure what role, if any, Russia is playing in this latest bout of unrest in Ukraine. Acting Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov blames "separatist groups coordinated by Russian special services" for the revolts in eastern Ukraine, which he said echoed events leading to the Russian annexation of Crimea three weeks ago.
Since then, Russia has amassed thousands of troops on its border with eastern Ukraine. And Russia's Foreign Ministry said reports that protesters are facing a crackdown by Ukrainian authorities are of particular concern.
"We are calling for the immediate cessation of any military preparations, which could lead to civil war," it said in a statement on its official website.
Please join us in praying for Ukraine during its national crisis.
1. Pray that Ukrainian and Western governments will have wisdom, resolve and unity to deal with this crisis strongly and that civil war and possible annexation by Russia can be prevented.
2. Pray also that the Russians will back down in the face of Western sanctions and remove their troops that are still massed at the border.
3. Let's also include prayer for His Body in Ukraine, that the churches and prayer movement will be united to pray and work together harmoniously. "As goes the Church, so goes the world."