October 3, 2025
Day 1318
News from Ukraine
When autumn comes and the sky is overcast, it often feels as if sunny days are over and a long season of gloomy weather is ahead. Still, before winter fully sets in, there are usually a few weeks of Indian summer. This year the cold arrived early, reminding us of the coming winter and the difficulties it brings. Each winter the enemy targets energy facilities, attempting to deprive us of light and heat. Nevertheless, we have already endured three winters under these conditions—three military winters—and we continue to withstand them.
The city of Odesa has faced a severe natural disaster following a long period of drought. In a single day, the city received the equivalent of two months’ rainfall, causing widespread flooding. Many residents were injured, cars were swept away, ground-floor apartments were inundated, and tragically, several people lost their lives while caught outside during the storm. For Odesa, already heavily damaged by constant enemy attacks, this flooding became yet another devastating blow.
We continue to closely follow the news, and the most anticipated updates for us are always the exchanges of prisoners of war. For many families, the wait for their loved ones stretches into years. Each exchange brings immense joy—especially when those once thought to be dead or missing finally return home. Recently, one family from our refugee group experienced this joy when their cousin, who had disappeared in the first days of the war and had been unaccounted for for more than three years, was finally released from captivity and reunited with them. In our local military unit, many soldiers who have returned from captivity have chosen to continue their service. I recently spoke with a psychologist from the unit, who shared how challenging it is to work with them—many remain withdrawn and find it difficult to open up. We discussed the importance of coordinating our efforts and supporting one another in this work.
Last week, George, our military psychologist from Odessa, visited and led a support group. Although only a few men attended, the meeting was meaningful and very beneficial. We hope this will be the beginning of closer cooperation with this unit and will allow us to expand our ministry to different groups of military personnel.
We have been praying for this for a long time and have been taking steady steps in this direction—developing a psychological rehabilitation program and responding to the needs of both the military and their families. Last month, the Lord blessed our efforts in a very special way: He provided us with a wonderful building that we plan to transform into a veteran’s rehabilitation center.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who supports this ministry and makes it possible for us to serve those who are in such great need today. By God’s grace, we have already witnessed encouraging results among displaced people—many have regained strength, found stability, returned to work, and begun rebuilding their lives after the hardships they endured at the start of the war.
Now, our hope is to extend this ministry to war veterans—those whose souls have been scarred by the fire of war, who carry the battlefield within them even after returning home. They are in great need of God’s Word, His healing, and His love. We pray that through this new center, we will be able to walk alongside them and bring hope and restoration.
George’s son, Gleb, is now recovering in a hospital in Kyiv after a severe injury on the frontline. He stepped on a mine, which caused the loss of his foot and multiple shrapnel wounds. His friends bravely carried him out of the combat zone in their arms, hiding from drones among small plantings. After several days, they managed to get him to the hospital. By then, his leg was in critical condition and had to be amputated above the knee.
Despite this, Gleb’s condition is improving, and his spirit has grown stronger. George travels to Kyiv every weekend to be by his son’s side. Gleb is now waiting for prosthetics and already making plans for his future.
Our dear and courageous Dr. Anya is still at home recovering from her arm surgery. We are so thankful for the opportunity to stay in touch with her and her family. It is a joy to see her at Bible study and other church gatherings. Though she doesn’t speak much, her quiet presence among us is a true blessing. We also continue to pray for her son, Ivan, who is serving far from home. We know very little about his situation, but we trust the Lord to watch over him, protect him, and be his shield.
During this war, we have witnessed many miracles from God, and one of the greatest is that every soldier on our prayer list is still alive today.
Our small town continues to endure night attacks, yet during the day life goes on as usual—people work, study, volunteer, and serve. Just a few nights ago, we faced a powerful assault of 15 drones. We listened anxiously as explosions echoed one after another. In the morning, we learned that the drones had struck a cognac factory, destroying the building and much of its production.
Despite the destruction, many men joked online that such a loss deserved special punishment for the Russians. Even in difficult times, it is good to know that we have not lost our sense of humor.
Please continue to pray for us and stand up for peace and justice.
Please, send your donations to Pathway Ministries: pathwayministriesinc.org
In Christ,
Lyuda
There are photos of George and his son, George leading a support group, Dr. Anya, a group of volunteers weaving camouflage nets, our Bible study groups and the sights of the building for the veteran’s center.
