June 6, 2022

Praise Reports

Sucess

  • Severodonetsk – UK MinDef – Over the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces have counterattacked in the contested city of Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine, likely blunting the operational momentum Russian forces previously gained through concentrating combat units and firepower. Russian forces committed in this area include personnel mobilised from the reserve of Russian-led Separatist Forces of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic. These troops are poorly equipped and trained, and lack heavy equipment in comparison to regular Russian units. The use of proxy infantry forces for urban clearance operations is a Russian tactic previously observed in Syria, where Russia employed V Corps of the Syrian Army to assault urban areas. This approach likely indicates a desire to limit casualties suffered by regular Russian forces.
  • Mykolaiv – 2 Russian missiles were shot down over the region
  • Kyiv – Russian cruise missile was shot down over Obukhiv district this morning.
  • Nuclear Plant – Russian Caliber cruise missile overflew South Ukraine Nuclear Power Plant on critical low altitude (120km to the NNE of Mikolaiv

Truth Revealed

  • Russian Conundrum – Putin said, “U.S. supply of Ukraine with MLRS does not change calculus, Ukraine had missiles with such range before.” If the Russians admit the Ukrainians are a threat then it demoralizes Russians, but if they aren’t a threat then why are they fighting?
  • Refugees – over 2 million Ukrainians have returned from fleeing abroad
  • Russian Generals – Russian President Vladimir Putin fired five generals – Vasily Kukushkin, Alexander Laas, Andrey Lipilin, Alexander Udovenko, and Yuri Instrankin — as well as police colonel Emil Musin – from the military’s top brass this week amid Moscow’s stumbling invasion of Ukraine.
  • Russian Losses – Soldiers – 31,000+ dead
  • Tanks – 1,367 (+4)
    • Armored personnel vehicles – 3,366 (+12)
    • Artillery systems – 661 (+14)
    • Multiple launch rocket systems – 207 (+2)
    • Anti-aircraft systems – 95 (+1)
    • Warplanes – 210 (+2)
    • Helicopters – 175 (+1)
    • Drones – 535 (+14)
    • Cruise missiles – 121 (+1)
    • Warships/boats – 13 (+0)
    • Vehicles and fuel tankers – 2,329 (+4)
    • Special equipment – 51 (+0)
  • Belarus #1 – Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian opposition, claims that Aleksandr Lukashenko, the self-declared president of the Republic of Belarus, and his government during the early days of the war ordered Belarusian troops to advance on the territory of Ukraine, but the highest-ranking officers did not comply as a result of the committees of soldiers’ mothers and other democratic initiatives which were working to convince Belarusian soldiers to switch sides and join the Ukrainian Armed Forces if they were forced to advance on Ukraine.
  • Belarus #2 – Combat readiness check in Belarus extended until 11th June
  • France – Kyiv has rebuked the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for saying it was important not to “humiliate Russia”. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted in response: “Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives.”
  • Svitahirsk – this famous 16th century monastery complex which is actually under the Russian Orthodox Church has been hit multiple times in the past as it has housed refugees but yesterday they hit a church burning it to the ground and killing 3 monks.
  • Children – The Ukrainian first lady, Olena Zelenska, and other officials commemorated 261 children killed by the Russian war against Ukraine by hanging bells near St Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The bells symbolize the voices of killed children, Euromaidan Press reported.

Support

  • Spain – The Spanish authorities are going to supply short-range anti-aircraft missile systems (SAM) and tanks to Ukraine. The process of supplying the Aspide SAM battery is already close to completion. The tanks are Leopard 2A4, delivered to Spain in 1995 by Germany. As follows from the publication, some of them were supposed to be modified, but due to lack of money, they were mothballed. Now about 40 cars can be restored and transferred to Ukraine. Spain is ready to train the Ukrainian military to operate these tanks. To date, Spain has supplied Ukraine with ammunition and light weapons.
  • Russian Default – Russia attempted to avoid entering technical default by paying it’s May 27 debts early before the May 25 provisions expired, but the US said the funds didn’t go through, so they’d need to be sent again, but of course now they wouldn’t be accepted. Russia was due to pay interest payments worth $71.25 million and 26.5 million euros ($28 million) on two sovereign bonds on May 27, with more payments coming up in June. This means that a default will now occur on June 26.
  • China – the economy is bankrupt with trillions of dollars in default endangering the basic social compact that keeps the Communist party in power and the only solution is Western money and so they cannot risk supporting Russia.
  • Russian Military – Right now, the Kremlin considers the capture of the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions by Russian troops as the “minimum program” for “declaring victory”. In general, the Russians have come close to this result: now, about 5% of the territory of the Luhansk region and a little more than 40% of the Donetsk region remain under the control of Ukraine. The “Maximum Program” is still called the taking of Kyiv under control. At the same time, the offensive of Russian troops on the capital of Ukraine ended in failure back in March, Russia withdrew its troops from this direction (leaving behind evidence of numerous war crimes). Military experts pointed out from the very beginning of the invasion that the capture of Kiev was initially an illusory goal, since Russia had not concentrated enough forces for this.
    Nevertheless, according to Meduza’s sources in the Kremlin, Russia’s top leadership still hasn’t given up on this goal. “We are going to kill them [Ukrainians] anyway. Most likely, by the autumn everything will be over,” one of the sources believes.

Pray Points – Latest

  • Odessa – For the first time, such a large grouping of the Russian Navy operates in the Black Sea, which consists of twelve large landing ships of the Northern, Baltic and Black Sea fleets. These BDKs (large landing vessels) are now ready to perform their intended tasks as part of a special military operation.” Each BDK Can carry up to 25 armored personnel carrier, or 313 infantry or 500 tons of useful goods. All of which can be used in an amphibious landing directly onto the beach
  • Kharkiv – continues to face intermittent bombardment that targets civilian infrastructure.
  • Kiev – this morning Russian missile strikes at railway infrastructure objects in Darnitsa and Dniprovsky districts of Kyiv (on the left bank of the Dnieper approximately 7 to 10 km from the center of the city.) Moscow said it had hit a repair shop housing tanks sent from eastern Europe. Ukraine said Russia had carried out the strike using long-range air-launched missiles fired from heavy bombers as far away as the Caspian Sea – a weapon far more valuable than the tanks Russia claimed to have hit.
  • Sanctions – Western sanctions would not have an effect on Russia’s oil exports, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said. Lavrov also predicted a significant increase in profits from energy shipments this year, Russian news agency Tass reported.
  • Negotiations – Negotiations with Russia will only resume after new weapons arrive from the west and Ukraine’s position is “strengthened”, said David Arakhamia, a member of Ukraine’s negotiation group with Russia. Another negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, said there was no point in talks with Russia until Moscow’s forces are pushed back as far as possible towards Ukraine’s borders.
  • Zaporozhia – massive artillery strikes across the entirety of the front
  • Severodonetsk – Ukrainian forces are mounting a counteroffensive as Russia claimed a majority of the city and continues to destroy it block by block and reports of many judging including 800 beneath a major factory including children. Also the Russians are attempting to encircle from Popasna near Mikolaivka.
  • Slovyansk – coming from Lyman near Staryi Karavan, the Russian army is attempting to seize area on the left bank of Sieversky Donets river, to move toward Slovyansk, as well as another force coming from Izyum.
  • Negotiations – Representatives of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom have been meeting regularly over the past few weeks to discuss a plan to end the war in Ukraine through negotiations. In particular, according to the interlocutors of the TV channel, the Italian plan was discussed. Ukraine does not directly participate in these discussions, which contradicts the statements of the US authorities – “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” At the same time, as emphasized, the United States does not put pressure on Ukraine, insisting on a certain plan, and does not push it to negotiate with Russia.
  • Donbas – approximately 10,000 Ukrainian troops are at at-risk of being encircled. And so much so that Ukrainian command is considering retreating from territory as perhaps the only way to protect those troops, but that would leave tens of thousands of Ukrainians to the mercy of Russian occupation or abuse & atrocities. Russian invaders are trying to advance along the entire line of defense in eastern Ukraine, with 20x the forces than the Ukrainians, shelling villages and launching missile and bomb strikes. The enemy is using combat aircraft, multiple rocket launchers, large-caliber artillery, tanks and mortars of various systems along the entire line of defense. They are launching missile and bomb strikes on civilian infrastructure and peaceful residential areas.
  • People of the West – pray that they rise up against their governments and demand they back Ukraine with more than words and do NOT negotiate with Russia, giving Putin land for grain or a ceasefire, rather than a military tribunal for him and the other war criminals.
  • Belarus – Lukashenka still has Belarusian armed forces as a part of an organized southern operational command, on the border with Ukraine
  • Kherson – There is a threat of flooding in Kherson and Kakhovka due to Russian army actions at Nova Kakhovka hydro power plant – General Staff of Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the same time half the population has fled. And the Russians are actually shelling occupied villages
  • Black Sea – Threats of missile strikes, particularly from the sea, remain relevant. The deteriorating weather makes it impossible to land marines and increases the risk of landmines being dumped along the coast. As of 26 May, the enemy naval grouping in the Black Sea of 6 airborne corps and 2 missile ships does not come with any changes in strength or objectives.
  • Odessa – Russia still has 6 airborne divisions and two guided missile cruisers, and apparently some control of Snake Island all of which together with consistent attacks on the damaged Zatoka bridge means a real danger of an amphibious assault on the far southeast corner of the Odessa region to build a bridge to the Russian controlled Transdniestra region of Moldova and to encircle Odessa and Mikolaiv.
  • Lughansk – the occupiers do not have control of the Lysychansk-Bakhmut route, but they are shelling there, so Ukrainian defenders and volunteers are looking for other ways to deliver supplies to the Ukrainian-controlled territory of the Luhansk region.
  • Ukrainian Prisoners of War – There are about 8,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war held in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, the Luhansk official Rodion Miroshnik has said.
  • Unity – there are movements beginning with Ukraine to begin to blame various people and parties for Ukraine’s situation, attempting to create division calling for various people to be charged with corruption, rather than waiting till after the war. Former president Petroshenko’s party in retaliation for the difficulties he’s had leaving the country to negotiate with the Lithuanians last week, has called for an investigation into why Zelensky and his party did not prepare better for the invasion.
  • Zaporozhia – Russian missiles are falling in Zaporizhzhia in what is most likely an attempt to intimidate civilian population ahead of their expected push toward the city. As Russian troops and military hardware continues to gather in preparation for a huge push toward Zaporozhia
  • Melitopol – there is a huge partisan movement among the people in this reason and they have taken out many railroad bridges and trains.
  • Ruble – the Russian currency is surging to 7-year highs, that although artificial indicate that funds are flowing into Russia rapidly (as Europe attempts to refill stockpiles and India and other companies take advantage of discounted oil) meaning that Russia is being kept afloat.
  • Italy & Germany – have set up ruble accounts with the EU’s blessing to circumvent sanctions and pay for Russian gas
  • EU – Hungary continues to block a true oil embargo
  • IMF – The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has said the war in Ukrainehas darkened the outlook for the global economy and could result in recession for more vulnerable countries and predicted that 2022 would be a tough year and declined to rule out a global recession if conditions worsened markedly.
  • Zaporozhia/Kryvyi Rih/Kherson – Shelling continues as the Russians attempt to move forward and Russia has blocked all exit from these regions as people line up at the borders
  • Kherson – Russia is stopping humanitarian aid from reaching hundreds of thousands of people in the region of Kherson, Ukraine said. Doctors could run out of medicine for chronically ill patients in two weeks, a Ukrainian official said. As they implement a ruble zone here it only increases the lack as people do not have rubles to purchase the need supplies.
  • Kharkiv – Fighting continues in the areas of Ternov and Borshchiv with heavy shelling with the Russians conducting enhanced aerial reconnaissance.
  • NATO – Even as Finland and Sweden apply to join along, Turkey continues to veto it even as negotiations continue.
  • Snake Island – Russia is spending a lot of resources to install anti-missile facilities and to protect paratroopers who are holding the island
  • Russian Navy – Russian Navy – All operating submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet went to sea from Sevastopol as seen by the fact that they are targeting military installations in Lviv
  • Fuel – Russia continues to strike fuel refineries and stores (including in Lviv yesterday) destroying its Ukrainian production capacity and fuel tanks, continuing to create dangerously low availability of fuel, meaning much of Ukraine’s economy and food supply could be affected, but also the military and humanitarian aid distribution.
  • Food – prices soar 60% as India, the world’s second largest producer, blocks exports due to low harvest from heat wave. Pray for the world food supplies as Wheat make up 15% of all the worlds calories consumed. And much higher for impoverished countries. Ukraine produces 7% of the worlds wheat and Russia 11% meaning 3% of the entire food supply for the world is cut off, and again a much higher percentage for developing world. While corn makes up 19.5% of global calories and Ukraine produces 2.6% and Russia with 2.3% of world supplies, meaning a further decrease in 1% of the world calorie intake for a total between wheat and corn of 4%. A response to this is that “the Russian invasion is a large shock for agricultural commodity markets, but not historically large. Markets and trade patterns will adjust to absorb it. Farmers around the world will produce more and consumers will cut back or substitute. The transition may be difficult in some places, especially countries such as Egypt that typically rely on wheat from Russia and Ukraine who must be helped to find alternate suppliers. The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has warned of “a hurricane of hunger” if Ukrainian grain is not exported. The world’s 41 least-developed nations import a third of their wheat from Ukraineand Russia. Soaring food prices have already driven inflation levels in Egypt to the highest level since mid-2019.
  • Russian Military – trying to create panic among the Ukrainian civilian population and to disrupt the supply lines in the rear, but has minimum success on the battlefield.
  • Mines – Almost half of the territory of Ukraine needs humanitarian demining – this is about 300,000 square kilometers, according to the State Emergency Service. Every day, an average of 2,000 to 6,000 explosive items are seized and rendered harmless in the country. One day of active hostilities is equal to 30 days of demining. For example, it will take about a year and a half to clear mines in the Kyiv region, where the fighting lasted a month. “Spring is coming, overgrown with grass, and in a week explosive devices cannot be installed visually, only devices. A few months later, due to rains, they sink underground to a depth of 3-5-7 centimeters, they are not visible at all, but they are still working,” the minister said. (As a sign of what supernatural resolutions can be possible, but during the Vietnam War, the United States strategically placed mines in North Vietnamese waters area that were set to detonate when a ship was in close proximity. In August 1972, a large number of these magnetic mines simultaneously started exploding. Upon investigation, the US found out that the cause of these explosions, which were estimated to be as many as 4,000, were not enemy ships. As it turned out, the culprit was a powerful historical series of solar storms with an extreme solar flare, solar particle events, and geomagnetic storm components hit the Earth.)
  • Testing the West – multiple alternative narratives are being focus-grouped by politicians – Like assuming Russia taking half of Ukraine is a done deal. Or turning Ukraine into Cyprus – divided state with Chinese soldiers occupying
  • Narrative – probing attacks from many directions in the media and with politicians continue as they attempt to discover a way to distract, divide or dissuade support for Ukraine and for Russia’s total expulsion from Ukraine and for Russian government to be held accountable. Continue to pray for solidarity and truth and those in occupied territories who are suffering and/or have been deported will be heard and not forgotten or abandoned.
  • Social Media – Russia’s online trolling operation is becoming increasingly decentralised and is gaining “incredible traction” on TikTok with misinformation aimed at sowing doubt over events in Ukraine, a US social media researcher has warned.
  • PTSD – they are seeing that those fleeing the Russians are holding on for about 10 days and then face complete mental breakdown.
  • 6 Russian Key Objectives to Pray Against
    • Kharkiv – Destroy, Encircle, Capture
    • Izyum – push south to encircle Donbas
    • Slavyonsk and Kramatorsk – in the east to complete a smaller encirclement of the cities
    • Mariupol – completely destroy all opposition and export the populations
    • Zaporozhye – Russian troops are building up forces and building logistics a massive concerted attack
    • Kherson – Russia is facing sabotage from the people but is still attempting to push north toward Kryvyi Rih and west toward Mykolaiv, then to Odessa and to Transnistria and eventually to Moldova.
  • Occupied Conscription – there is much evidence that Russia is desperately attempting to catch and conscript any and all able men in the occupied regions of Izyum, Kherson & Zaporozhye and force them to fight for them.
  • Deportations – Russia has deported over 750,000 people from Ukraine to Russia. 134,000 of those from Mariupol alone.
  • Mercenaries – Continue to pray for all mercenaries to be neutralized in any way!
  • Logistics – Russia logistical challenges are still problematic even though the supply lines to the Donbas are shorter, and much will depend on the condition of the roads and railways.
  • Refugees – now 6.5 million have fled Ukraine. Pray for their safety, provision and care.
  • West – pray that the pressure would continue to mount on western leaders to ban oil and gas imports and to continue to increase meaningful heavy arms donations.
  • Russia – pray that the emotional need to make a huge statement and reaction to the sinking of Moskva will lead to Russia moving prematurely and without adequate preparation and coordination and thereby dooming their own assault. Or to make a move that so steels international resolve that it makes supporting Russia impossible even for China and India.
  • Russian People – pray they understand the Truth and reject the lies they’ve been told and rise up
  • US – pray that Lend/Lease gets fast-tracked and raise on the House floor and approved today
  • China – has doubled down and the Russian propaganda and refused to admit the atrocities were committed by Russia or any other point

Pray Points – Continued

  • Ukraine – Almost two-thirds of Ukrainian children have fled their homes, the UN says. About 4.8 million out of 7.5 million children had to leave their homes, said Manuel Fontaine from UNICEF. He confirmed the deaths of 142 children, but added that the number is “almost certainly higher”
  • Economy – Ukraine economy to contract 45.1% this year, Russia 11.2%: World Bank
  • Rage – Pray against rage as videos have come to the four about Ukrainian soldiers summarily executing Russian soldiers. Although they can obviously feel incredibly justified, this is destructive to them and provides ammunition to Russia their attempt to create an alternative narrative in Ukraine.
  • Russian Military – Russia is sending an 8-mi long convoy of 100s of vehicles, including armored vehicles and artillery southbound through the Ukrainian town of Velykyi Burluk. The convoy is moving about 60 mi east of Ukraine’s 2nd-largest city of Kharkiv, as Russian focuses on Donbas. Russian Ministry of Defense claims destruction S-300 SAM at Chuhuiv airbase and Starobohdanovka in Mykolaiv region. Also claimed destruction of National Guard base in Zvonetske of Dnipropetrovsk region
  • TRUTH – pray that an ever-increasing steady stream of the atrocities committed by the Russians will be revealed and documented to maintain the ever-increasing pressure on political leaders and parties to act with speed, vigor and determination.
  • Russian Lies – pray that all their various alternative narratives would be revealed as rags and shadows for all to see.
  • Evacuation & Panic – Ukraine has urged civilians to leave the east of the country “while the opportunity still exists” before a massive Russian military assault that it expects in the coming days. The governors of the Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions were calling on people to move immediately to safer areas. “It has to be done now, because later people will be under fire and face the threat of death. There is nothing they will be able to do about it.
  • May 9 – Reports are that Putin needs the invasion successful in time for the Victory Day parades, thereby threatening great attacks over the coming month. Putin would want to have an “announceable success” by then, which could create “some tension” with Russian commanders as exhausted forces were likely to be thrown into battle fairly soon in an attempt to gain ground in Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv. This also is at the end of the 30-day default negotiation period (ending on May 5) meaning incredible pressure is on Russia to achieve victory by then.
  • Europe/US – pray they will block all gas imports and provide truly meaningful military support.
  • Oil – Pray that Europe would have the political will to do a complete embargo of Russian fossil fuels (oil, gas, coal, etc.)
  • Occupied – Many villages completely cut off from all supplies and food and water!
  • Global Food – there could be a global food crisis as Ukrainian farmers are being forced to limit what they plant due to the war. And also due to the fact that the main ways that they have a reaching global markets through the Black Sea is now blocked by Russia. Russia and Ukraine together produce 25% of all green in the world!
  • Refugees – According to Polish border guards, more than 2.4 million people have fled Ukraine to Poland . However, supplies have dropped off and now the whole regions are struggling.
  • For the Weak – Russia has flown more than 300 air sorties over Ukraine in the past 24 hours: senior U.S. defense official
  • Russian Elites – to turn on one another and on Putin
  • Russian Military – continuing to press in the north, but the real danger is that Russia seems to preparing for an all-out push in Donbas to encircle the Ukrainian army and to take the entire region and to create a united front against Ukraine.
  • Russian Soldiers – pray for their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being and for them to have the courage to face the Truth and the opportunity to receive the Gospel which is the ONLY answer to the atrocities they’ve already committed.
  • Russian Opposition – that those in the inner circle will see a way out and that Russian Opposition would be able to gather together in a meaningful way
  • The Truth – In all things that the Truth would be painfully evident and unavoidable in all public discussion
  • Ukrainian Army – Russia is attempting to encircle the Ukrainian Army in Donbas
  • Russia – for the people to wake up to the Truth and rise up
  • Putin’s Inner Circle – to fragment and turn on one another
  • Protection of the Weak
  • The West – to not grow numb to atrocities, but be compelled to action
    • Sanctions – Loopholes would be closed and sanctions rendered effective
    • Oil Embargo – That Europe would make the choice to stop immediately at the very least paying for gas & oil
    • Heavy Weapons – provide planes, tanks, heavy artillery and high-altitude weapons

Prayer Strategies

  • Corruption & Domination Falls
    • Russia, Belarus & Ukraine
    • The Former Soviet Union
    • China, India, UAE & Saudi Arabia
  • Truth & Freedom prevail
  • The Gospel is spreads like wildfire
    • From Ukraine
    • To Russia
    • To the whole world

Prayer Encouragement

“Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!”  — Andrew Murray