Vladimir Putin’s war of choice means that thousands of children, grandmothers and ordinary people won’t celebrate the winter holidays this year. Putin’s troops committed unspeakable war crimes in Bucha, Irpin, Mariupol, Izyum, and in cities and towns across Ukraine. Since Russian forces destroyed Mariupol, killing thousands of civilians, Ukrainian evangelical pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko and his team of more than 60 volunteers have evacuated more than 7,000 people from the city. Mokhnenko spends his time praying with Ukrainian soldiers on the frontlines and delivering humanitarian assistance to largely forgotten elderly Ukrainians.
What is life like for ordinary people on the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine? What is the role of religious communities in saving civilians from Kremlin aggression?
Archbishop Borys Gudziak, archeparch of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, opens a conversation between Melinda Haring, deputy director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and Ukrainian pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko on the war in Ukraine and the myth of Putin’s adherence to traditional values.
This event will not feature an in-person audience. You will be able to join via desktop or mobile app, through your web browser, or by phone. To join the question and answer period, you must join by app or web.
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issue spotlight
Europe in crisis
War in Ukraine
In February 2022, Moscow launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine after a months-long military build-up, threatening the country’s sovereignty and its future. This existential moment for the country follows the 2014 Maidan revolution, a nexus for Ukraine’s Europe-focused foreign policy and reform efforts. The ensuing Russian invasion and occupation of Crimea, aggression in Ukraine’s east, and Kremlin disinformation efforts, cast a shadow over Ukraine’s independence.
The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting policies that strengthen stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.