On Wednesday, February 28th, a Russian airstrike killed a pastor and destroyed a church in Kupiansk, Kharkiv region. The pastor, Yuriy Klimko, is the 24th minister of the Українська Церква Християн Віри Євангельської/Ukrainian Pentecostal Church killed by the Kremlin regime.
The airstrike, which involved a FAB-500 aerial bomb, also destroyed residential buildings and a cafe near the church. Two civilians were killed and five others were injured.
Pastor Klimko, 58, was the pastor of the Jesus Christ Pentecostal Church. According to Petro Loboiko, deputy bishop of Kharkiv Pentecostal regional association, the morning prayer service had ended just half an hour before the airstrike. Pastor Klimko’s wife was in the church at the time of the explosion, but she was not injured.
“Since the beginning of the war, Pastor Yuriy and his team have been helping the military, serving as chaplains, and helping the families of combatants. He survived the Russian occupation, ministered extensively to the local community, and actively spread the Gospel,” said Pastor Loboiko.
Let us support the family and church community with our prayers. The best way to remember Pastor Klimko’s ministry is to follow his great example of service!
Pentecostal Union, Ukraine
Lars-Gunnar Olsson
Sorgligt. Ingen förefaller undgå ondskan i Ukraina. “Min är hämnden” utlovar Gud.
Translation: Sad. It seems that no one is avoiding the evil actions in Ukraine. God has however promised: “Mine is revenge”.
Ingvar Holmberg
Våra Ukrainavänner i kyrkan från Kharkiv-området är i chock och sorg:
Vi beder och väntar på något slags förändring
Ingvar Holmberg, medlem i Pingst Norrköping
Translation: Our Ukrainian friends from the Church in Kharkiv region are in chock and sorrow: We are praying and waiting for some kind of changes.
Ingvar Holmberg, member in Pentecostal Church in Norrköping, Sweden