As a result of Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities last night, at least seven people were killed, and several dozen were injured.
The cities of Dnipro and Chernihiv have been seriously affected. Meanwhile, in the frontline areas, Moscow continues to terrorize the population from the air. On Saturday morning, a one-and-a-half-ton aerial bomb was dropped by the Russians on Sloviansk, from where TV3 News reports.
As a result of the attack, the church of the honorary consul of Latvia in the Donetsk region was severely damaged. In the morning, local residents had already gathered here, trying to mitigate the consequences of the strike.
Parishioners show the film crew the aftermath of yet another Russian terror. The room where humanitarian aid — clothing and food — was stored is filled with debris and shards of glass.
Every Saturday at nine in the morning, dozens of children come here. The church organizes various activities for them to bring some joy to the remaining children here.
"People have already managed to clean up a bit here. It’s terrible — how can children learn here? They can’t. Everything good that we were doing here will have to be paused for a while, but not forever — we will close the windows, restore electricity, and continue our work," said chaplain Andriy Borylo.
"Every element here was made by the people’s hands. [...] It hurts, but we are already used to the pain, and you never know where the next strike will come from to bring us to our knees. We don’t know what else the enemy will send us. But, as you can see, everyone is gathered here, and no one even thinks of giving up. No one will agree to give anything away, no one will agree to let someone abroad decide to trample us — that won’t happen. We will survive, let them not hope that we will break," said the chaplain.
The parish of the honorary consul of Latvia in the Donetsk region is one of the largest in Sloviansk. Every Sunday, about 500 people gather here for worship. And today they came to help restore order.
"We have done nothing wrong to deserve such punishment. Believers, peaceful residents gather here. We engage in social work, prepare food for the needy, refugees from other cities in Donbas, many children come to us — about 100 every Saturday… Today, an aerial bomb hit us at six in the morning," said the honorary consul of Latvia in the Donetsk region, Oleksandr Pavlenko.
The Russian army has already taken the most precious thing from the honorary consul — in 2014, when Sloviansk was occupied, two of his sons were killed, and another died in 2023. Despite this, he has never left his native Donbas and continues to help the remaining people.
"We are just people who love our Ukraine and try to help each other as we can. The front line is only six kilometers away, and it hits here every day. People left with nothing come to us for help — at least for clothing. Thanks to Latvia, we receive a lot of aid — both food and clothing — and we distribute it to those from whom the enemy has taken everything. Today it happened like this: we prepared everything for the people, and inhumans did what they do best — destroy," added Pavlenko.
However, as can be seen, people do not give up — everything is being put in order, and a service will take place here on Sunday. "Yes, just like that — as sung in a Ukrainian song: there are many of us, and we cannot be defeated," said Pavlenko.
