These are war crimes: the leaders of US religious organizations condemned the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid
Statement of religious leaders regarding Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid
“For you Lord, give light to my lamp, my God brightens my darkness.”
[Psalm 18, 29]
On the night of March 22, Russia launched its largest attack against Ukraine’s energy system, deploying over 60 kamikaze drones and almost 90 missiles. Dozens of power facilities were damaged, including thermal and hydroelectric power stations, high-voltage networks, and regional energy grids.
Millions of civilians across the Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Khmelnytskyi, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Kharkiv regions now face massive power outages and crippling energy shortages, endangering the most vulnerable and threatening all life-support systems. Kharkiv, a city of 1.5 million inhabitants, is particularly stricken as Russian attacks targeted its main energy facilities, leaving residents without electricity, heat, and hot water on a night when temperatures will plummet below freezing.
We, leaders of religious organizations in the United States, condemn these Russian attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure as war crimes. We beseech the religious leaders of Russia, especially Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, to stop supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to urge President Putin to halt terror attacks aimed at innocent civilians. We likewise urge our government and civic authorities to utilize all available just means to protect Ukraine and its people from this brutal aggression.
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
[John 1:5]
We stand firm in our resolve: do not allow the darkness to prevail over the light.
- His Excellency Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio - President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA
- His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- His Excellency Bishop Gregory John Mansour - Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
- His Excellency Bishop Elias Zaidan - Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles, Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace
- His Excellency Bishop John Alappatt - St. Thomas Eparchy of Chicago, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
- His Excellency Bishop François Beyrouti - Diocese of Newton for the Melkite Catholic Church in the US
- His Excellency Bishop Robert M. Pipta - Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Parma
- His Excellency Bishop Nicholas Samra - Bishop Emeritus of Newton Melkite Church, USA
- His Eminence Metropolitan Anthony - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA and Diaspora
- His Grace Metropolitan Borys Gudziak - Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia
- His Eminence Archbishop Daniel - Ukrainian Orthodox Church of USA and Diaspora
- His Excellency Bishop Paul Chomnycky - Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford
- His Excellency Bishop Вenedict Aleksiychuk - Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of St. Nicholas in Chicago
- His Excellency Bishop Bohdan Danylo - Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma
- Rev. Viktor Prokhor - Superintendent at Slavic District of the Assemblies of God, Senior Pastor at Life Christian Church in Tacoma, WA, Chair at the Council of Ukrainian Christian Churches of Washington State
