Russia: child’s drawing sparks police investigation
In Yefremov town is the official, patriotic picture on a wall depicting giant masked Russian soldiers with guns and supersized letters Z and V - symbols of Russia’s special military operation. But in Yefremov is another image of the war. Olga has a photo on her mobile phone of a child's drawing. To the left is a Ukrainian flag with the words ‘Glory to Ukraine’, on the right, the Russian tricolour and the inscription ‘No to war!’ Missiles fly from the Russian direction towards a mother and child standing defiantly holding up hands saying, ‘No’. 12-year-old Masha drew the picture. When her school saw it, they called the police. After investigating her father’s social media they concluded he was bringing up his daughter badly. He is now under house arrest and Masha is in a children’s home. A neighbour said, ‘The authorities want everyone to toe the line. No-one can have an opinion.’
Putin wanted ‘total cleansing’ of Ukraine
Vladimir Putin planned ‘total cleansing’ of Ukraine with house-to-house terror to subdue its people. Chilling emails leaked from within Russia’s FSB intelligence service talk about orders ‘from the very top’ for civilians to be taken to concentration camps in a bid to conquer Ukraine. The emails were leaked to Russian human rights activist Vladimir a week after the International Criminal Court charged Putin with war crimes for alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that there have been over 16,000 forced deportations carried out by Russia. Meanwhile Russia’s push for the key Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has stalled, despite their claims in early March that the city was surrounded on three sides. Ukraine’s commander-in-chief said that the fight for Bakhmut is stabilising and his troops’ have held back Moscow’s forces. Ukraine is now signalling a counteroffensive to take back territory lost to Moscow. The Wagner mercenaries are losing considerable strength.
Israel: politician urges prayer for national unity
Sharren Haske, a prominent Israeli opposition politician, has urged Christians in Britain to pray for peace for her country, following massive protests against plans to reform Israel's judiciary. This week, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a delay to the plans, saying he is ‘not ready to divide the nation in pieces’. Sharren is a member of the opposition National Unity party and chairs the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus. ‘It's a very challenging time right now in Israel. Many of our citizens are really heartbroken’, she said. ‘The division among the nation is one of the biggest challenges that such a diverse community as the people of Israel is facing every single day. We're not against it. We understand that there is the need for reform and for changes. The question is how the judicial system is going to look, the next day. They take a more extreme approach, we are for a more moderate one.’
Cameroon: Bible translator killed
Due to ongoing conflict in Cameroon between separatist groups and the government, as well as attacks by Islamic organisations, Bible translators are in persistent danger. Wuwih William Gemuh supervised Bible translation work in the Mfumte languages, in northwest Cameroon, facilitating workshops choosing words for dictionaries in a number of languages. When returning home from a workshop he was kidnapped and later killed by armed men. Wycliffe Bible Translators’ executive director says Bible translators are working in dangerous places because these are the most inaccessible locations both geographically and spiritually, where God’s word has yet to be translated. For Bible translators across vast swathes of Asia and Africa, this is the reality of their life and work. Please join us in prayer for all those affected by Wuwih’s death: his immediate and extended family, and his colleagues in the Mfumte project team, who have lost one of their leaders.
