Christian leaders urged their followers to pray following Russia's decision to invade Ukraine yesterday.
The Christian Headlines reported some of the ministers who shared their reactions on social media.
Evangelist Franklin Graham said that they were awakened by the news of Russia's military operation in Ukraine.
"... Pray for the people of Ukraine and for this conflict to end quickly. I have preached in both Kiev as well as Lviv, and large crowds came to hear the Gospel...," he wrote.
Further, he revealed that Samaritan Purse, the Christian organization he leads, is already preparing gifts for more than 600,000 Ukrainian children.
"There is so much fear and uncertainty. Many Ukrainians are fleeing their homes toward the west. These families need our prayers," Rev. Graham added.
Russell Moore, on the other hand, expressed a radical reaction towards the invasion. Moore, a public theologian who works for Christianity Today, condemned the Russian president, calling him a "murderer."
"Vladimir Putin is a murderer and a tyrant. He is an abuser of evangelical Christians, other religious minorities, and even his own country's orphans. And now he attacks a neighbor, a democracy, a friend of the USA. God save Ukraine," he tweeted.
Eugene Cho, president of the Christian organization, Bread for the World, shared a prayer alongside a moving photograph of Ukrainians who are praying and kneeling on the snowy ground, seemingly oblivious of the bitter cold.
"Lord, we pray for the people of Ukraine during this difficult time. Protect the innocent and vulnerable. Give wisdom to global leaders. Humble the proud. Lord, we long & pray for peace. #PrayForUkraine," Cho stated on Twitter.
Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in California, urged to pray not just for the people affected by the conflict but also wisdom for the Ukrainian leaders.
"As you know, Russia has attacked Ukraine. Let's all be in prayer for the people there. Pray also for our leadership that they make wise and prudent decisions in the next few critical hours," Laurie said.
Following weeks of speculation and Putin's continuous denial of invading Ukraine, Russia officially began its invasion on Thursday, launching surprise attacks in various areas of the country including Kiev, Kharkiv and Odessa.
Putin claimed that the operation aims to protect the people who were "subjected to bullying and genocide." He also warned against anyone who attempts to interfere, threatening of a "Russian response" resulting "to the consequences you have never seen in history."
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Putin's claim during his speech, appealing to the Russian citizens.
"They're telling you that this flame will liberate the people of Ukraine, but the Ukrainian people are free," Zelensky declared.
The Ukrainian president also appealed to the European leaders, warning them that if they will not help his country, "war will knock on [their] doors" in the coming days too.
Garry Kasparov, the most influential chess grandmaster of all time and a Russian himself, criticized the attack against Ukraine and shared his opinion on defeating Putin.
Kasparov said that subduing Russia requires supporting the Ukrainian military, bankrupting "Putin's war machine," freezing Russia's finances and removing the country from all financial institutions.
In his article in the Mirror, Dr. Robert Lyman, a writer, historian and research fellow at Pembroke College's Changing Character of War Centre in University of Oxford, compares Putin's move on Ukraine to Adolf Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939.
Lyman cautioned that if the world allows the Russian president to get away with what he is currently doing, there is a high probability that he will also do such to other countries, such as the Baltic States.
