Ukraine war/ Kharkiv region army chaplain: Battle worth fighting until we secure victory

An army chaplain from the Kharkiv region is convinced that the war waged by Russia in Ukraine symbolizes the fight between good and evil, between God and the devil.

Father Nicholas of the 'Serhiy Kulchytsky' Battalion that supports the Ukrainian troops in their counter-offensive against the Russian army in northeastern Ukraine believes that the actions of the Russian forces on Ukraine's territory go beyond political and military battles and that the mass killing of Ukrainian civilians are tantamount to a terrorist act.

"I see and understand that Archangel Michael is clashing with the devil again on our Ukrainian soil. This is no longer about politics, nor is this just war. This is terrorism, it is genocide and in all this I see an even deeper meaning: this is the fight justice, for God's justice, the fight for the celebration of God's justice on our Ukrainian lands. Russia in itself embodies evil because they are not fighting the armed forces, but children - just look at this school - that's the future they want to bring to Ukraine and the entire world. I feel that the battle here is between good and evil, between God and the devil. And it's worth fighting until we secure the victory," says the chaplain who arrived on Sunday in Vilkhivka, a village about 15 kilometers east of Kharkiv, where many locals were killed, dozens of houses were destroyed and the school was turned into a ruin.

Sat on the entry steps of the battered school, the military priest prayed for the Ukrainian army and the people of Ukraine.

The village of Vilkhivka has been under Russian occupation for more than two months, during which time the locals hid in cellars and those who dared to go out were shot.

"The latest place police took action was the now liberated Vilkhivka, where we found bodies buried in the backyards of the houses. Eyewitnesses told us of three people being shot from a Russian tank," said Kharkiv Regional Police spokeswoman Olena Baranyk.

Many scorched Russian tanks still litter the local roads, as well as cars exploded after the occupier attacks. Rockets fired by the Russian army can still be seen stuck in the ground, and - a most grisly image - the abandoned body of a Russian soldier killed during the Ukrainian counter-offensive is still lying in the school courtyard. AGERPRES