March 31, 2022

Praise Reports

  • Russia Troop Movements
    • Russian troops near Chernihiv and Sumy also have repositioned toward Belarus
    • Russian forces have begun to withdraw from Chernobyl and are heading into Belarus, a Pentagon official. (Seven busses packed with Russian soldiers suffering from Acute Radiation Syndrome arrived to #Belarus from the #Ukrainian #Chernobyl exclusion zone.
    • Russia advanced elements never got closer than 15-20km from Kyiv city center, per @PentagonPresSec. Russian troops near the Hostomiel airfield appear to be the first to reposition away from Kyiv, he says
    • US has seen the repositioning of a small percentage of the troops and battalion tactical groups that Russia had arrayed against Kyiv Ukraine probably in the neighborhood of 20% of what they had. Appear to be repositioning to Belarus, not home, says
    • “If the Russians are serious about de-escalating because that’s their claim here, then they should send troops home.
  • Russian Missiles – The United States assesses that Russia is suffering failure rates as high as 60% for some of its precision-guided missiles, three U.S. officials with knowledge of the intelligence told Reuters.
  • Russian President Vladimir Putin was misled by advisers who were too scared to tell him how poorly the war in Ukraine is going and how damaging Western sanctions have been, White House and European officials said on Wednesday.
    “We’ve seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,” Fleming said.
  • Electronics Shortages – Baikal Electronics — a Russian semiconductor company and computer manufacturer — has been cut off from the integrated circuits it needs to support its domestic communications equipment, while Taiwanese company TSMC’s exit from the Russia market has deprived Moscow of access to “Elbrus chips” widely used in Russian intelligence and military systems
  • Zelensky – There is no way to reach peace except by holding Russia accountable for what it has done
  • Occupied Opposition – Rally against occupation in Hola Prystan, people demand to release kidnapped citizens, including mayor
  • Mariupol – Russia announces a ceasefire Thursday in Mariupol, Ukraine to evacuate civilians. Fresh efforts are under way to evacuate civilians trapped by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said a convoy of 45 Ukrainian buses was on its way to the besieged southern city. It said a ceasefire would allow people to travel westwards to Zaporizhzhia via the Russian-controlled port of Berdyansk.
  • India – A significant increase in Russian oil imports by India could expose New Delhi to a “great risk” as the United States prepares to step up enforcement of sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. administration official said. Refiners in India, the world’s third biggest oil importer and consumer, have been snapping up Russian oil through spot tenders since the war broke out on Feb. 24, taking advantage of deep discounts as other buyers back away. India has purchased at least 13 million barrels of Russian oil since Feb. 24, compared with nearly 16 million barrels in all of 2021. “U.S. has no objection to India buying Russian oil provided it buys it at discount, without significantly increasing from previous years,” said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Some increase is allowed,” said the source, who did not offer more detail.
  • The Church is pushing back – continuing with civilian evacuations from Mariupol and even going deep into occupied territories like Melitopol and surrounded cities like Izyum at great risk to themselves.

Pray Points

  • Mariupol – Almost 5,000 people, including about 210 children, have been killed in the devastated city of Mariupol since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, a spokesperson for the mayor said. Vadym Boichenko said Mariupol was on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe and must be completely evacuated, with about 160,000 civilians were trapped in the city without power. Pray for the evacuations to not be shot on or be a ploy for deportation but open the door to many more evacuations.
  • Russian People – Putins approval rating is up from 71% in February to 83% today.
  • Economic Loss – This year Ukraine’s GDP will shrink 20% while Russian economy will shrink 10%
  • Russian Economy – Russia’s finding ways around sanctions, as evidenced by the fact that the ruble which was at 84 to the dollar the day before the invasion and then plunged as low as 120, is now trading at 81.9 rubles to the dollar. In other words better than before the invasion.
  • Georgia – Russia’s attempting to destabilize Georgia by pushing a referendum in their occupied territories of South Ossetia which similar to the wedge Russia has created from Belarus to Kyiv gives them access directly to Georgia’s capital.
  • Belarus – The purge on the Belarusian railways is in full swing. Dozens of train drivers and technical staff have been arrested this week. Today alone, pro-government Telegram channels posted more than 30 videos in which arrested employees “confess” to sabotaging Russian echelons and other crimes
  • Damage – Ukraine’s economy minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, said the war has so far cost the country $564.9bn (£429.3bn) in terms of damage to infrastructure, lost economic growth and other factors. Eight thousand kilometers (4,970 miles) of roads and 10m sq meters of housing have been damaged or destroyed as a result of fighting, she said in an online post.
  • Turkish Negotiations – began yesterday for the first face-to-face negotiations in two weeks though neither side is optimistic. Pray that the West will not allow hope in these talks to keep them from acting. But with Russia’s patent disingenuous olive branch of troop withdrawals in the north, now they are saying that Foreign Ministers will only meet in a couple weeks
  • Russian Mercenaries – British military intelligence said on Monday the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, has been deployed to eastern Ukraine. “They are expected to deploy more than 1,000 mercenaries, including senior leaders of the organization, to undertake combat operations,” Britain’s Ministry of Defense said. These are particularly used to create terror to break the back of citizen resistance in occupied territories
  • 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
  • Russia Offensive – Russia attempts to break
  • 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
    • Military Aid – High Altitude Missiles
    • Evacuation – Mariupol
    • Peace Keepers – to aid evacuations and protect and provide humanitarian aid

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