Russian Strike Destroys Evangelical Church in Ukraine's Kramatorsk; Pastor Had Canceled Service

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine —

A Russian strike destroyed The Good News Church, an evangelical congregation in Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, at about 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, Baptist Press reported. No one was hurt, because Pastor Viktor Pavenko had canceled services that morning in response to intelligence warnings.

The pastor's nephew, Mikhail Pavenko, told Baptist Press he believes the attack was meant to kill worshippers. He described a 500-kilogram Russian guided bomb striking the center of the sanctuary. The building had already survived a strike in June that damaged its roof and ceiling.

Through the war the church has served as a humanitarian hub, helping with evacuations and assisting refugees and soldiers, according to the report. When Russian strikes knocked out Kramatorsk's water system, the church supplied clean water from its own filter system. Viktor Pavenko slept in the sanctuary for months after sending his wife and daughter away to safety.

Karl Ahlgren, Ukraine's honorary consul in Oklahoma and a volunteer military chaplain, had visited the pastor at the church on Aug. 29, the report said.

Mikhail Pavenko, a volunteer chaplain since 2015, told Baptist Press that Protestant churches are being shut down in areas Russia occupies, and he called Ukraine one of the freest nations for the gospel. He thanked Americans for their prayers and giving, and he urged the United States to weigh religious freedom and human rights in its dealings with Russia.

Viktor Pavenko is one of three of Mikhail's uncles who pastor churches near the front line. Mikhail plans to travel to eastern Ukraine in November, and Ahlgren plans to return in January, according to the report. Watchman News has not independently confirmed the details of the strike.