Relying on God, Not America: A Report from the Church in Ukraine

On Friday, Donald Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky disagreed publicly and heatedly over the handling of the war between Russia and Ukraine. In the end, Zelensky left without signing a proposed mineral rights agreement between the United States and Ukraine and without a clear next step to ending the three-year-long war.

In Ukraine, the fallout was “pretty discouraging,” said American missionary Caleb Suko, who has lived in Ukraine with his family since 2007. “The feeling amongst Ukrainians and in the churches is [that we’ve been] betrayed by America and by President Trump.”

At the same time, he says, “I hear people saying this might be meant to teach Ukrainians that they should not rely on America to save them, but on God. We can see how God is using this to shift affections and hope in things.”

Suko felt that shift as well.

“As an American, it was sad for me to see President Trump not supporting a country that has freedom and democracy,” he said. “It helps to remember my most important citizenship is in heaven, and I think Ukrainian believers are sensing that more than ever now too. If they’re going to have peace through victory in this war, we’re going to have to give that praise to God, not to America or to any other country.”

The Gospel Coalition asked Suko about the mood in Ukraine, how the churches have been faring, and how he has seen God at work.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It’s been more than three years. How is the general mood of the country?

In general, the war has a wearing-down effect on people. They’re tired, and they’re feeling a hopelessness, wondering if this thing is ever going to end.

How are the churches doing?

Ukraine is a large country, so it’s hard to generalize. It depends a lot on where the church is. Certainly, many churches are smaller than they were before since many people have fled the country. But some are growing.

It helps to remember my most important citizenship is in heaven, and I think Ukrainian believers are sensing that more than ever now too.

You see a contrast between the churches that decided, back in 2022, to hunker down and try to survive versus those that saw this as an opportunity for the gospel. They housed fleeing people, used their vehicles to help with evacuations, started soup kitchens, or gave out basic food or hygiene products. Some Ukrainians came only for the resources, but there were people who were touched by the gospel and they ended up staying. Those churches are healthier and often growing.

In the last six months, the overwhelming difficulty for all churches in Ukraine is that we’re losing our young men. They’re being drafted, they’re away fighting, or they’re being injured or killed. Some are fleeing the country illegally.

The men who are still around are often unable to participate in ministry because they are afraid to leave their homes. In Ukraine, the draft does not work like it does in America. You don’t get a letter in the mail. Instead, recruiters roam around the city and set up checkpoints. If a man of fighting age—between 25 and 60—is spotted, the recruiters can draft him.

For example, last year our worship leader was driving to the mountains for a retreat. He got stopped along the road and was deemed eligible for military service. He had to go right then, leaving his car on the side of the road.

Another difficulty for the church is that everyone knows someone in the military, so the constant theme is praying for the military or somebody’s father or son who was killed or injured.

What’s it like to be an American missionary in Ukraine right now?

It’s difficult. Back when the full-scale war started, we knew a terrible evil was coming into our country. That’s been true—our brothers and sisters in Russian-occupied areas have been tortured or murdered because they were Christians.

In the beginning, we felt amazing support from the American churches and government. But since Trump has taken office, we don’t feel the support from the American government. Even some of our supporting churches in the United States are questioning what is really going on in Ukraine. We’re so thankful for those who still support us.

The most precious thing is actually the moral support right now—it brings tears to our eyes to hear people saying, “We’re praying for you.”

We are praying for you! What are some specific ways we can lift you up to the Lord?

Pray for faith and boldness for Christian men—that they would be able to minister well.

Pray for the families of those who have loved ones who are fighting, injured, or who have been killed. That pain is really difficult to deal with.

And pray that Christians would be able to direct their frustration, anger, and other emotions about this prolonged war in a righteous way—to be able to give those things over to God, and not just be angry at Russia or the United States. And after that, to be able to passionately continue to pursue evangelism and discipleship.

Is there a hunger for evangelism and discipleship in Ukraine right now?

Surprisingly, yes.

Immediately after the invasion, the church was focused on humanitarian efforts—and some churches still are, especially those near the front lines. I teach seminars on evangelism and discipleship, and for two years, I couldn’t do any of that.

But in the last three or four months, there’s been a resurgence in interest in those things. All of a sudden I have more requests to teach than I can physically fulfill.

Wow! Why do you think that is?

There is more stability now in the churches than there was in the last three years. In the areas farther from the front, people have gotten used to living like this. Someone asked me the other day how things were going, and I said, “Pretty quiet.” After I thought about it, I realized there had been a ballistic missile in a hotel downtown and a large kamikaze drone attack earlier that week. And while our kids were riding the bus home from school today, a ballistic missile hit a ship in the port while they were going by. The shock wave moved the bus.

But for us, that’s pretty quiet.

My ministry here is through Blagovistya Today, a center for evangelism and discipleship. Among other things, we produce evangelistic Bible studies, sort of like the Alpha course, to be used with people who just started coming to church. One is a chronological Bible study with 48 lessons. We have about 300 students in that course right now.

That’s amazing. Are there other ways you’ve seen God at work in Ukraine?

In the last couple of years, there has been so much turnover of leadership. It’s been very difficult, but we’ve also seen new people rise up that didn’t have an opportunity to serve before. Some of them are really gifted, and we’ve benefited from them.

In the last three or four months, there’s been a resurgence in interest in evangelism and discipleship.

In general, the war has a simplifying effect on the church. We aren’t worried anymore about bells and whistles, lights and stages. If we have a room with some chairs and maybe a guitar, we don’t need anything else. And it is still meeting every spiritual need.

We’ve also seen a huge influx in the growth of chaplain ministries. The Ukrainian army has almost a million people in it. So there has been a growing training for chaplains, teaching them how to deal with grief and loss or how to deal with PTSD. That’s definitely something we didn’t see in years past.

How has your faith changed in the last three years?

More and more, I am realizing that I can’t fit myself wholly under any political banner. The only banner I can fit myself under is the banner of Christ. No country—Ukraine, Russia, or the United States—is the everlasting kingdom. My sense of being a citizen of heaven has grown a lot stronger.