echoed the cry for peace of Pope Francis and the Ukrainian people when presiding over Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv The pilgrimage destination is one of the spiritual centres of the country's Catholic community marked by evocative hymns and decorative arrangements in white and blue the Cardinal received a warm welcome by all Praying for the Blessed Mother's intercession the faithful expressed their deep hope for the long-awaited gift of peace for a nation suffering in almost two and a half years of war Cardinal Parolin reiterated that nothing is impossible for God and wished to reassure the people that the Pope is close to them and shares in their pain offering the Ukrainians "his paternal embrace." delivered almost entirely in Ukrainian by Bishop Edward Kawa auxiliary of the Latin Rite Archdiocese of Lviv Cardinal Parolin recalled the memory of the first miracle that marked the history of this place of worship the governor of the lands of Kyiv and Zhytomyr was imprisoned in a battle against the Tartars he promised to do some good deed in honour of God and the Virgin Mary if he gained his freedom some unknown friars appeared to him in prayer to God and Our Lady for his release he decided to have a monastery built in Berdychiv for the religious he had seen in his dreams and whom he recognised in the Carmelites in Lublin three years later a copy of the one preserved in the Basilica of St The reproduction was donated by Tyszkiewicz himself who had previously kept it with his family and in 1647 it was declared miraculous by the then Bishop of Kyiv who had been healed after praying before it Cardinal Parolin encouraged the Ukrainian Church to be "prophetic" with "unceasing prayer so that God may convert the hearts of those who having strayed from His ways and become slaves of their own pride trampling on the dignity of children of God in others." He urged that we pray to the Lord so that hearts of stone may become hearts of flesh when it seems that evil has the upper hand when the horrors of war and the pain of the many victims and the massive destruction undermine faith in divine goodness when our arms fall off and we no longer even have strength to pray," Cardinal Parolin emphasized in his homily He encouraged looking upon the crucified Christ even if one struggles to see the horizon of the Resurrection The last part of the Cardinal's homily focused on the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of God who stands beside us in the midst of our personal crosses and "gently accompanies us" towards the resurrection In contemplating the icon of the Mother of God of Berdychiv "she who leads," we see how she is a symbol of tenderness and love "She is the herald of the dawn," of Jesus He then offered closing prayers and an invocation. grant that children and young people may have a peaceful and sure future that the elderly and the sick may receive comfort and relief in their suffering that those defending their homeland may be protected from the attacks of evil that prisoners of war may return to embrace their loved ones and that the victims may be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven.” Thank you for reading our article. You can keep up-to-date by subscribing to our daily newsletter. Just click here A 1920s portrait of the author Joseph Conrad Photo by Getty Images the Polish-born English novelist Joseph Conrad remains a subject of debate among his biographers over the extent to which he did “Not surprisingly,” declared Bernard Meyer “Conrad exhibited evidence of antisemitism.” Yet Jeffrey Meyers another critic examining the same evidence The disagreements begin over the character of Conrad’s birthplace which was considered the most Jewish city in Ukraine Jews in Berdychiv amounted to about 80% of the population. Sholem Aleichem captured the city’s spirit in fiction, but perhaps the most international literary event, notes biographer John Stape occurred there when the French novelist Honoré de Balzac visited seven years before Conrad was born Balzac took offense when local Jewish residents gathered to admire his gold watch-chain As a member of Berdychiv’s Catholic minority Conrad expressed no such physical violence against his Jewish neighbors where sometimes Yiddishkeit was implied rather than openly declared especially when writing to friends who were notorious antisemites The irony was that repeatedly, Conrad was assumed to be Jewish, simply because of where he was born. In a 1918 essay, Frank Harris, a scabrous UK author, grouped Conrad with the English Jewish novelist Israel Zangwill, author of the novels Children of the Ghetto and The King of Schnorrers Harris complained that the “trashiest hack” among fiction writers could achieve popularity merely by claiming to be “one of the oppressed race.” Conrad replied with a fully documented letter to The New Republic, published under the headline “Mr. Conrad is Not a Jew.” While underlining his Polish Catholic roots (and the fact that his wife was “not a Jewess”) Conrad added that he never would have denied being an “Israelite” if he really was as that “race” occupied “such a unique place in the religious history of mankind.” The neutral term “unique” is scarcely laudatory Conrad would be posthumously classified as a Jew once again the German Nazi propagandist Wilhelm Stapel determined that Conrad must have been a “cosmopolitan” Polish Jew largely because his books appeared in Germany from a Jewish publisher the British poet Arthur Symons wrote to a mutual friend to explain that Conrad had reported on a visit to a Paris consulate to arrange a visa matter: “There were 25,000 stinking Jews on the stairs.” To another correspondent Conrad confided that he had “somehow got the notion” that the art historian Bernard Berenson was a “noxious old Jew — and now I know better!” Conrad would insult his Anglican publisher Stanley Unwin by calling him a Jew whenever he did anything he disapproved of Less jocular altogether was when Conrad transposed this habit of misidentifying Jews into fiction In the novel Under Western Eyes declares that his name “is not Gugenheimer” and that he is not “a democratic Jew.” Later he mutters at an adversary: “Cursed Jew!” However the opponent in question might have been Transylvanian thereby serving as yet another example of the author seeing Jews where they did not exist The “Gugenheimer” reference is considered to target the real-life Swiss Jewish mining magnate Meyer Guggenheim Such remarks have been diagnosed by some authors as a symptom of his upbringing among the Polish-landed gentry in Ukraine were far more outspoken antisemites in fiction Conrad only explicitly identified two of his minor characters as Jewish. One such was Señor Hirsch, a Jewish hide merchant who found himself caught up in political upheavals in the novel Nostromo Constantly terrified, Hirsch is eventually captured and executed, amidst detailed descriptions of his ordeals. The literary historian Irving Howe (born Horenstein of Bessarabian Jewish origin), opined that the “sheer quantity of Jewish suffering” in Conrad’s story was “itself evidence of Jewish cowardice.” Alternately Conrad might have been indulging in the “Elizabethan game of having his Jew sweat.” This possible reference to Shakespeare’s Shylock or Marlowe’s Jew of Malta might be apt were Hirsch more than just a two-dimensional character who epitomizes woe. Another, even lesser, Jewish innkeeper named Yankel appears in Conrad’s short story “Prince Roman.” Prone to uttering “Nu!” with more or less authentic Yiddishkeit Conrad’s Yankel also exclaims the more puzzling “Tse Tse!,” an expression which is also heard from a non-Jewish servant in Conrad’s story “The Planter of Malata,” set in Sydney Australia and on a fictional island named Malata The literary maven Cedric Watts plausibly implied that the most significant Jewish characters in Conrad’s works may not have been identified as such: the villainous anarchists in the novel The Secret Agent This relative reticence at a time when fiction writers unabashedly slated Jews as loathsome and anti-social may have allowed Conrad to retain popularity with perceptive Jewish readers who might otherwise have been put off by open hostility On a personal level, Conrad could be friendly to select Jews, like the artist Jacob Epstein, who sculpted his portrait, or his compatriot, Bruno Winawer, whose satiric Book of Job Conrad translated into English One enthused reader was the German Jewish political philosopher Hannah Arendt, who cites Conrad in her own classic text The Origins of Totalitarianism. The subtitle of Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem exploring the concept of the banality of evil may echo Conrad’s discussion of banality in Under Western Eyes Later Jews who, like Arendt, saw in Conrad a voice applicable to their own historical context included the editors of Yediot Aharonot, who in 2008 issued a new Hebrew edition of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness translated by the novelist Shulamit Lapid and her son the Lapids suggested that Conrad’s colonizers were akin to the fraught situation in Gaza teaching readers that “occupation corrupts.” Alluding to the ever-current lessons of Conrad placing colonizers at the “heart of darkness.” Few novelists have been so permanently in the forefront of political messaging who later supported Israel’s actions under the Netanyahu government in the Israel–Hamas war advocacies may apparently switch with time Benjamin Ivry is a frequent Forward contributor I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward American Jews need independent news they can trust At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S rising antisemitism and polarized discourse This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up Copyright © 2025 The Forward Association Parolin expressed the Pope's closeness to the population presided over mass today in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv Parolin concelebrated with the Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church when the horrors of war and the pain of the numerous victims and massive destruction put faith in divine goodness in crisis when our arms fall and we no longer even have the strength to pray,” Parolin said in the homily as reported by “Vatican News” Yesterday the Vatican Secretary of State stopped in the port city of Odessa prayed for the victims and for a "just and lasting peace" the Vatican Secretary of State expressed the Pope's closeness to the population Read also other news on Nova News Click here and receive updates on WhatsApp Follow us on the social channels of Nova News on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram Cardinal Pietro Parolin visits Ukraine to express Pope Francis' support meets with Archbishop Shevchuk and President Zelenskyy to discuss peace and humanitarian issues and attends a pilgrimage at the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv talk during Cardinal Parolin's visit to the headquarters of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine on July 21 (CNS photo/courtesy of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cardinal Pietro Parolin visited Ukraine to hold high-level meetings meet local Catholics and represent Pope Francis at the final stop of a pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv "My presence in Ukraine (is) to bring in person the closeness of the pope," the cardinal said July 22 on the Secretariat of State's official X account The cardinal met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and other government officials in Kyiv July 23 and "reiterated the pope's closeness and commitment to find a just and lasting peace for martyred Ukraine," the secretariat said on X "We focused particularly on the decisions of the first Peace Summit and the Vatican’s role in establishing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine I am grateful for (the) Cardinal’s support of our country and people," the post said "I appreciate this significant gesture of support for Ukraine and our desire to live peacefully in our own state It is essential for us and for the cause of peace that the Vatican remains active in protecting lives and supporting the implementation of the Peace Formula particularly regarding the release of prisoners," Zelenskyy wrote on X July 23 Cardinal Parolin's visit from July 19-24 included stops in Kyiv On July 23 he visited the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv which still showed signs of Russian bombing July 8. The cardinal visited the different wards that have been reopened and spoke with the young patients and their parents He greeted and encouraged the medical staff and looked at drawings made by the children Cardinal Parolin also visited Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk major archbishop of Kyiv-Halych and head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. which continues to function as a "refuge" for people during Russian airstrikes said a press release from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church July 23 "It was emphasized the need to be able to visit prisoners of war which they need for their spiritual life," the press release said Catholic News Service has been providing complete in-depth coverage of the popes and the Vatican for more than 70 years faithful and informed connection to the Holy See Cardinal Gugerotti urged electors to draw on Eastern Christian humility and let the Spirit A Rome tailor is hoping the new pope will appear on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica wearing a cassock he sewed himself Cardinal Fernández said contempt for the poor can be masked in refined language and warns against false meritocracy that distorts.. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB’s) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy ©2025 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Made possible by funding from The visit of the Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin to Ukraine follows his appointment as Pontifical Legate for the concluding celebration of the pilgrimage of Ukrainian Latin Rite Catholics which takes place at the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv his first to the Eastern European country since the beginning of the Russian invasion During these days – as noted by the @TerzaLoggia account on X – Cardinal Parolin has various commitments and appointments on his programme Parolin made a brief stop at the Episcopate of the Metropolitan of Lviv of the Latins and then visited the city of Odesa the Cardinal will preside over Mass in Berdychiv for the concluding celebrations of the pilgrimage of Ukrainian Catholics The Shrine is located in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) and is a pilgrimage destination for Catholic faithful from all over Ukraine and other countries pilgrims have visited to particularly seek Mary's intercession for peace the Vatican Secretary of State will visit the Greek-Catholic Cathedral in Kyiv He is also scheduled to meet with the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church His programme includes a meeting with Ukrainian civil and religious authorities Cardinal Parolin previously visited Ukraine in June 2016 and August 2021 the Pontiff urges pilgrims to pray for an end to the war This will be the Vatican secretary of state’s first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022. Previously, recalls Vatican News Cardinal Parolin visited the country in June 2016 and in August 2021 for the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's declaration of independence the secretary of state is scheduled to visit the Marian shrine of Berdychiv is home to an ancient icon of the Mother of God Snizhna — Our Lady of the Snows — which has been venerated since the 17th century In Berdychiv, the cardinal will celebrate the closing of the annual pilgrimage of Latin-rite Catholics who represent less than 1% of the population — while the larger Greek-Catholic Church accounts for 7% of Ukrainians The "papal legate" will be accompanied by Fr secretary to the Latin Church's Archbishop of Lviv In a message in Latin addressed to his representative Pope Francis lamented the "fury of war" and urged pilgrims to implore "with one voice the gift of peace" so that "war may be brought to an end in Ukraine and throughout the world." He also invited them to look to and imitate the example of Mary "Blessed among women." The Pope lastly assures the Ukrainian people of his spiritual closeness Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you Please make a tax-deductible donation today Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news High-level politicians and officials from Berdychiv Municipality in Ukraine visited the School of Engineering (JTH) and Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) at Jönköping University on 8 October The schools contribute with knowledge and students in a project between Berdychiv and Jönköping municipalities to rebuild Ukraine after Russia's war of aggression The School of Engineering (JTH) and Jönköping International Business School (JIBS) at Jönköping University (JU) are contributing with expertise and students in a digitalisation project to rebuild Ukraine after Russia's war of aggression The collaboration is between Jönköping Municipality and Berdychiv Municipality International JTH students Niranjana Jagadeesh and Suryasri Mulangil Sukumaran worked on producing digital maps for Berdychiv Municipality in Ukraine during their internship at Jönköping Municipality The project involves producing digital maps that Berdychiv municipality can use to restore infrastructure buildings and more that have been destroyed or damaged as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine It is a Sida-supported ICLD (International Centre for Local Democracy) project on democracy issues and human rights carried out between several municipalities in Sweden and Ukraine The project between Jönköping and Berdychiv Municipalities is in its initial phase and will run for two years Berdychiv's mayor Serhiii Oriluk and several politicians and municipal officials visited Jönköping 6-9 October and took the opportunity to visit JTH and JIBS “They want help with digitizing their maps and we can get help from them with crisis preparedness and how we can protect our open data and it feels urgent that we can support them in democracy issues they lose the whole war,” says Ann-Marie Dahl She is a politician in Jönköping municipality and sits on the steering group for the collaboration with Berdychiv It was she who involved JU and two master's students from JTH in the initiative The international students Suryasri Mulangil Sukumaran and Niranjana Jagadeesh who are studying the Sustainable Building Information Management programme at JTH worked on developing digital maps of Berdychiv during their internship at Jönköping Municipality “It has been an exciting project to work on because it involves the community and the people of Ukraine and it feels good to be able to help them in this way,” says Niranjana Jagadeesh They presented their work to the Ukrainian guests at JTH and were then invited to Berdychiv “They thought our presentation was good and they understood what we meant We have produced a manual for them that is easy to follow even if you don't speak English,” says Suryasri Mulangil Sukumaran They would have liked to continue working on the map project as their thesis in the spring and would not mind travelling to Berdychiv “They said we should come and see their botanical garden and it would be interesting to experience Berdychiv for real From what we have heard that area is not particularly affected by the war so we are not that worried,” says Niranjana Jagadeesh Professor of Business Administration at JIBS lectured on Swedish municipal governance to the Berdychiv delegation during their visit to JIBS “We want to give a picture of how municipal governance works in Sweden that they can apply to their municipality I have researched the governance of municipal organizations and entrepreneurship and innovation in the municipal sector There are also several of us at JIBS who speak Russian I come from Latvia and it helps enormously to know Russian because the people from Berdychiv that we are working with in this project do not speak English,” says Timur Uman He is already involved in a similar project with Jönköping municipality to democratize and modernize the public sector in Konotop Municipality in north-east Ukraine He sees great potential for development in both these projects “It is positive that high-level politicians and officials come here because they are the ones who make the decisions and can make a difference in their municipality about crisis management and war preparedness,” says Timur Uman As a Latvian who has been able to study and even get a job in Sweden he says he sees it as more or less his duty to help Ukraine “What has happened in Ukraine could just as easily have happened in Latvia who knows what will happen to the Baltic States I am doing this for both Latvia and Sweden because both the Baltic States and the Nordic countries have a great common interest in Ukraine not losing the war.” JTH students Suryasri Mulangil Sukumaran and Niranjana Jagadeesh presented their work to the delegation from Berdychivs which included the mayor of the municipality Marketing Manager at June Avfall & Miljö informed the Ukrainian visitors about Jönköping Municipality's waste management What he said was translated by Lucia Eriksson Jönköping UniversityGjuterigatan 5Box 1026551 11 Jönköping, SwedenPhone +46 36 - 10 10 00Contact form More contact information About the website Manage cookies Cardinal Pietro Parolin will represent Pope Francis in celebrations marking the conclusion of a pilgrimage by Latin-Rite Ukrainian Catholics to the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv in northern Ukraine Confirmation of Cardinal Parolin’s commission came in a formal Letter in Latin naming the Vatican Secretary of State as Pontifical Legate for the event The Holy Father’s Letter also named two priests – Fr Ruslan Mykhalkiv rector of the seminary of the Kyiv-Zhytomir diocese; and Fr Andriy Lehovich secretary to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv of the Latins – to accompany Cardinal Parolin in his mission Although Berdychiv was formally designated a national shrine only in 2011 Pope Francis in his Letter recalls the centuries-old tradition of pilgrimages to the Marian sanctuary Yanush Tyshkevych founded a monastery there in gratitude for the liberation from the Tatars and donated an icon of the Mother of God “of the Snow,” painted in the 16th century Devotion soon spread to the rest of the country with pilgrims eager to come to kneel before the miraculous effigy of Our Lady in this “sad and mournful period of war violence,” Ukraine is calling on the Virgin for a special grace “You will encourage all participants in this event,” Pope Francis writes to Cardinal Parolin “to unceasingly implore the Queen of Peace to put an end to war in Ukraine and in every part of the world offering herself as an example of blessing among women to be imitated since she is pleasing to God who humbles the proud and raises up the humble.” The Letter ends with the Pope's invitation to bring his blessing but also "benevolence and closeness in this extremely difficult time for the beloved people of Ukraine." the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out “devastating attacks on groups of the occupier’s troops in the temporarily occupied territories” and proceeded to counterattack in selected directions; in Kyiv’s opinion this action will “radically change the fighting parties’ situation” Due to destruction or loss of combat capability the enemy is reported to have lost up to 40% of the sub-units involved in the aggression against Ukraine Russian troops continued air and missile strikes and are still shelling infrastructure and housing in Ukrainian cities for the first time civilian infrastructure in Berdychiv The Russians’ main focus is on strengthening and holding the positions and areas of defence they have already occupied although they are continuing to prosecute offensive actions in southern and eastern Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun mobilising the second line of the reserves (the soldiers called up first have been distributed among the fighting units) This will also cover those persons available for compulsory mobilisation who have not already completed their compulsory military service (they are to be directed to training centres) women who would have been called up in ‘special cases’ (mainly medical service and communications specialists) have been released from the compulsory call-up Conscripted soldiers will be sent to fight if new areas of the country become involved in the hostilities the aggressor continued bombing and shelling; periodic clashes and exchanges of fire have mainly taken place in the Bucha These were less severe than in the previous days and the Russians focused on building up their forces The Russian attack from the north was stopped 10 km from the borders of Kyiv the defenders conducted offensive actions and inflicted losses on enemy troops in an artillery exchange Non-contact activities also dominated in the Severny direction The attacking Russian forces were detained in the north-eastern outskirts of Chernihiv the Russians mainly carried out blocking operations (around the cities of Sumy and Izyum) and built up their forces The defenders repelled an attack on Kharkiv the Russian troops took up positions around the town of Popasna which had come under heavy shelling in the previous days and are also building up reinforcements on the western outskirts of Rubizhne were unable to break through the Ukrainian defence in the area of Lisichansk and Severodonetsk Localities in the Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts are constantly being bombed and shelled (Mariupol was also shelled from the sea for the first time) Russian units approached Nikopol (rocket artillery shelled the western outskirts of the city) but the aggressor have not entered Dnipropetrovsk oblast The Russians have continued their approach towards Kryvyi Rih and are tightening their encirclement of Mykolayiv Ukrainian forces carried out an effective attack striking within an aggressor group bombing the airfield in Chornobayivka near Kherson (7 helicopters were destroyed) The authorities in Odessa are warning that a group of ships operating in the north-western part of the Black Sea may attempt a landing The city and its vicinity have been bombed; the Russians have attempted to identify and destroy the remaining elements of the air defence system in Odessa oblast According to data from the General Staff of Ukraine the total estimated Russian losses so far amount to around 13,800 soldiers (killed The Russian defence ministry claims that since the beginning of the conflict Ukrainian losses have amounted to 111 aircraft It also stated that 159 anti-aircraft missile systems 1353 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles 493 guns & mortars and 1096 wheeled vehicles have been destroyed Foreign volunteers will allegedly arrive in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic the number of which is estimated by the authorities there at 20,000 after the report of mercenaries being recruited in Syria that the Russian command has decided to strengthen its forces with formations made up of foreign fighters The occupiers are still brutally pacifying the towns they have occupied The Russian military have looted the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (stealing computer equipment and protective clothing) the Russians are making unsuccessful attempts to create a local ‘people’s militia’ Kyiv is preparing to defend itself against a land attack In order to raise the command level of the Ukrainian forces gathered in the capital President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed the current commander of the Joint Force Operation to be the new head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration The appointment of an experienced military man to a formal administrative position means the effective appointment of the commander for the defence of Kyiv The mayor of the city has said that it is ready to defend itself The Security Service of Ukraine is continuing its counterintelligence operation against Russian agents 60 collaborators with the Russian special services were captured and 20 hostile sabotage & reconnaissance groups were neutralised which proves that Ukrainian counter-intelligence units have been highly active Most of the persons detained had provided information on the location of military and territorial defence units the Ukrainian parliament extended martial law until 25 April and adopted an act allowing for working hours in businesses to be extended to 6 days and 60 hours a week President Zelensky signed a law on criminal liability (up to 15 years’ imprisonment) for cooperation with Russia the occupation administration and its armed forces as well as a law on counteracting Russian propaganda The last document includes a ban on denying Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine (since 2014) in the media or calling the conflict in Donbas a civil war The law also provides for the possibility of liquidating political parties religious and social organisations whose actions challenge the independence of Ukraine or call for subversion of the constitutional order or the violation of its sovereignty or integrity The powers of the police have been expanded: police officers can now carry out tasks connected with territorial defence anti-mining operations and the supervision of POWs seven of the nine agreed humanitarian corridors were used The Ukrainian side confirmed that about 20,000 people had left Mariupol The Russians once again blocked the passage of a humanitarian convoy headed via Berdyansk to Mariupol the planned evacuation from the town of Izyum was disrupted by artillery fire Evacuation trains are still departing from Kyiv of which 1.4 million are children and 157,000 are persons with other than Ukrainian citizenship According to an announcement by the Polish Border Guard 1.89 million people have crossed into Poland from Ukraine since the beginning of the war Ukrainian losses as a result of the war amount to US$565 billion the head of the Interior Ministry Denys Monastyrski calculated that 3500 infrastructure facilities 28 churches and 165 critical infrastructure facilities (power plants transmission networks and gas pipelines) have been destroyed According to the president’s economic adviser Oleh Ustenko US$300 billion of the Central Bank of Russia’s foreign exchange reserves which have been frozen by Western sanctions will be earmarked for reparations for Ukraine in a special fund US President Joe Biden signed a bill to grant Ukraine financial aid to the tune of US$13.6 billion These funds are to be allocated to defensive weapons and support for refugees both sides have suggested that an agreement on a ceasefire could be reached but this is conditional on their acceptance of the political agreement The Ukrainian side has still not revealed its position on any possible concessions hoping that delays in the Russian army’s progress will affect their decision on a truce President Zelenskiy said that Ukraine did not intend to become a NATO member and that the Ukrainian people should only count on themselves He appealed once again for the closure of the airspace over Ukraine the secretary of the National Security and Defence Council said that Ukraine needs a new defence alliance which should include a country with nuclear weapons; he mentioned the United Kingdom in this context • Both sides are using the slowdown of the Russian offensive actions to regroup and strengthen their units The aggressor’s movements back towards the Ukrainian border are relatively small-scale (apart from internal security formations and mercenary forces the movement of only about five tactical battalion groups has been confirmed); they indicate that the Russians are not as yet trying to increase their numbers in the operation area The announcement that foreign mercenaries will be involved in the hostilities is an exception; the aim of this move is to reduce losses among the Russians’ own men in conditions of strong resistance from Ukrainian troops and to support the units involved in pacifying the occupied territories which has called up its second reserve echelon – involving men subject to the compulsory call-up who have no military training – indicate that the defence is to be total The issue of arming and equipping of newly called-up soldiers for combat remains to be solved; it should be assumed that they will mainly receive light weapons and small arms largely coming from the support offered by NATO countries • There is still no official confirmation of any progress being made in the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations which are still being held at the working-group level Zelenskiy’s words that Ukraine will not be a NATO member could be seen as preparing public opinion to accept one of the Russian conditions (neutral status) it could also be seen as a trick to signal an alleged concession albeit one which will not be enough for the Kremlin The Russian tactics is not likely to change although there are signs that they have rowed back on the scale of their demands (for example by calling for neutrality instead of demilitarisation) By increasing casualties among the civilian population Putin continues to seek Kyiv’s capitulation and consent to the subjugation of Ukraine brutal pacifications are taking place due to the occupier’s rising frustration at the resistance and unwillingness to cooperate displayed by the local communities Biuletyn Informacji Publicznej Pope Francis has appointed Vatican Secretary of State as Papal Legate for a celebration that takes place during the annual pilgrimage of Latin-rite Ukrainian Catholics to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv According to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office Cardinal Parolin will preside at the concluding celebration of the pilgrimage on Sunday Every year approximately 4000 pilgrims travel to the Shrine of Berdychiv in the Zhytomyr region the biggest Catholic Shrine of Latin rite in Ukraine Discalced Carmelite Fathers are in charge of the running and upkeep of the Shrine and the monastery They have done a lot of work on this historical site and the Carmelite Fathers open it for use as a bomb shelter for the local population during shellings. Cardinal Pietro Parolin arrived in the Western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Friday his first to the war-torn country since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 The Vatican Secretary of State has been appointed as Pope Francis’ Pontifical Legate for the concluding celebration of the pilgrimage of Ukrainian Latin Rite Catholics to the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv He will preside over the celebration there on Sunday Cardinal Parolin accompanied by the Apostolic Nuncio to Ukraine made a brief stop at the Curia of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lviv There he was welcomed by Archbishop Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki along with the Auxiliary Bishops Edward Kava and Leon Maly Auxiliary Bishop of the Greek Catholic Archeparchy of Lviv Also present were the Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi and the head of the Lviv regional administration Maksym Kozytskyi Speaking to Vatican News after this first meeting Cardinal Parolin explained that the main reason for his mission is the celebration at the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv which is to be elevated to Minor Basilica at the request of the Ukrainian Latin bishops The shrine is located in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) pilgrims have visited the site particularly to seek Mary's intercession for peace Prayer for an immediate end to the ongoing war in Ukraine will again be the focus of Sunday’s celebration said Cardinal Parolin: “It will be a choral prayer raised to the Mother of God so that she may finally grant peace to this country which the Holy Father has always defined as ‘martyred’ The Vatican Secretary of State further explained that the special occasion would also offer him the opportunity to meet Ukrainian authorities with whom he would most likely discuss the prospects for peace with Russia Pope Francis’ ongoing closeness to the suffering Ukrainian people: "This visit is yet another expression of the Holy Father’s concern for Ukraine and of his great hopes for peace,” he said recalling that from the very beginning of the Russian invasion Pope Francis has tried to find ways to reach an end to the war “what has recently been called a just peace.” “We talked about this at the recent Peace Summit in Bürgenstock [in Switzerland prayer and hope that ways may be found to end this conflict as soon as possible" On behalf of Pope Francis and the Holy See Cardinal Parolin once again expressed his concern for the situation in Ukraine and reiterated his commitment "to find a solution to attain this just peace.” “starting from Cardinal Zuppi’s visit to Kyiv and then to Moscow it has seemed to us that humanitarian initiatives are the way forward to bring about this (just) peace.” “this idea is seemingly shared by the authorities in Kyiv because in Switzerland they also spoke about three issues: first of all nuclear weapons and avoiding an escalation; then the issue of the freedom of movement of goods and the Holy See has focused on this also at the request of the Government itself but in view of taking steps that can truly lead to a just peace" Friday marks the first anniversary of the Russian aggression against Ukraine: on 24 February a war that has brought devastation and suffering and separated many families – but at the same time has showed the courage of the Ukrainian people while not being able to stifle their hope of being able to live on their own land in peace and freedom The continuing conflict has led to many peace initiatives around the world the country’s Latin bishops are taking part in a prayer vigil that will also see the participation of the Apostolic Nuncio to remain in the country to share the suffering of the Ukrainian people and to bear witness to the closeness of the Pope and the entire Church Archbishop Kulbokas spoke with Vatican News about the significance of this anniversary why is it important to commemorate this date with prayer Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas: Because prayer I would explain it this way: Last Sunday we had a very important celebration in the Greek Catholic cathedral in Kyiv: the episcopal consecration of an auxiliary bishop for Kyiv was celebrated Jesus our Lord said: ‘What you did to one of the least of my brethren and visited me when I was in prison.’ This Gospel - which in itself should be clear unfortunately in many situations you do not succeed with the blessing also of the Holy Father Francis I tried to go to Mariupol to evacuate people Cardinal Krajewski in April tried to do the same thing volunteers are trying to bring aid to the regions of Kherson as happened to Cardinal Krajewski himself last September or to the priest wounded in the Kharkiv region a month ago our Greek-Catholic priests taken prisoner last November they were two Redemptorist priests working in Berdyansk It is a very strong contrast: in these conditions of war we are not able to realise the Gospel At least not in all situations and not in all regions That is why the need for prayer becomes even stronger.. the prayer we will make will be a supplication to the Lord and to the Mother of God: Grant to us to return to the world created by God because the world we are living in now was created by violence Another very important aspect we find if we re-read history I re-read again a few days ago the history of Kyiv Rus'... The Rus' of Kyiv – so this same Kyiv in which I now find myself – already in the 11th century in the history of Christianity is among the oldest entities among the oldest states to be entrusted to the protection of Our Lady in union with all the bishops of the world re-consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on 24 February there will be a prayer to the Virgin Mary knowing that we have already entrusted Ukraine several times to her protection Because we see very clearly that in such an intense year of war And we have full confidence – I have full confidence – in the protection of the Virgin Mary Has the perception of your mission as nuncio changed during this year of war but I would like to emphasise one in particular we never know what we will experience in the next moment: whether a meeting will take place whether we will have a telephone connection or whether a missile or a drone will arrive.. it is a very intense spiritual hope for which I am very grateful to the Lord I see the fullness of what I understand as the mission of an apostolic nuncio: on the one hand to continue to represent the Holy Father and the Church to also personally experience a continuous and very intense spiritual challenge Pope Francis met some Ukrainian women: wives sisters of Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner by the Russian army We know that you had previously met them in the nunciature in Kyiv During this year the Apostolic Nunciature has supported many similar initiatives there were several moments that remained very close to my heart One is a meeting I had with the wives of two soldiers I met in the nunciature in May: those were the days when the defenders of Mariupol were handing themselves over as hostages One of the ladies had already lost her husband unfortunately; the other was in contact with her husband at those very minutes And I have seen what it feels like when the telephone connection is cut off: the line goes dead and the woman does not know whether she has already lost her husband for good at that moment or whether he is still alive the line comes back and she cries because the one she thought might be dead is still alive Then there is another aspect that I have experienced many times: the groups who on many occasions have told me: ‘We don't know whether he is alive or not we cannot know if he has warm clothes for the cold winter months.’ It is constant not knowing All these testimonies remain etched in my mind and I carry them in prayer one hears that people are tired of the war What can Catholics around the world do to help the Ukrainian people at this time Have the needs changed since the first half of the year It is clear that fatigue is being felt at all levels I saw the statistics a few days ago: 150,000 homes destroyed because every destruction causes not only pain because for example: in Mykolaïv and Kherson necessities [but] they also need undergarments because there is not enough clean water to wash them The volunteers and the priests tell me that when they bring bread and the same goes for water and thermal clothing - like the thermal shirts that Cardinal Krajewski has also brought several times.. There is also fatigue in the Kharkiv region where there are so many houses without windows and so many people live in basements where people come out of the shelters to get food brought by Caritas volunteers and then run back to hide in the shelters so many benefactors have donated generators or stoves there are other even more pressing needs: in many places there is a great demand for psychologists who can advise family members on how to deal with the psychological traumas they have suffered either directly or with family members or soldiers returning from the front; and then there are the wounded Then there is the great urgency of the children There are many organisations that would be happy to offer Ukrainian children a home in the countries around Ukraine where the children can stay for a few weeks in a quiet place without constantly living with the stress of war Pope Francis has kept Ukraine close to his heart this whole year his closeness to the people affected by this terrible tragedy in practically every celebration or audience What impressions have these words left in you and in the people you have approached I would like to emphasize what both government representatives and representatives of other Churches tell me: Unfortunately not all religious leaders are expressing and demonstrating this closeness to the suffering people since you need only take in your hands that volume published last December And it is just one volume of Pope Francis' speeches made in the last ten Not to mention Pope Francis' letter addressed to all Ukrainians on 25 November: that letter expresses two very important aspects: one is the great warmth the great closeness to the suffering: everyone has perceived this as you will also have perceived in Rome and elsewhere it sometimes happens that the symbolism or the terms used are not understood in the same way in different countries and this happens even more so in Ukraine where the war is experienced directly That letter was very important and clearly demonstrated the Holy Father's perception The comparisons used: even that beautiful comparison with the cold that the Holy Family endured in Bethlehem and now the Ukrainian people are suffering the same cold So many comparisons used in that letter were received as oxygen This was also said to me by the leaders of other Churches (I am not talking about Catholics here because they appreciated the clarity and the great warmth that was in that letter It is as if it were the key to many other interventions The Holy Father offered the hermeneutics for many other shorter texts The Father General of the Discalced Carmelite Order recently visited Ukraine to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel he celebrated several Masses and prayed with the Ukrainian people at the Shrine of Our Lady of Berdychiv He also visited hospitals near the conflict zones and met with Carmelite communities in Kyiv and Berdychiv Márquez noted that the Carmelite's commitment to the Ukrainian people is encourage them to persevere in their struggle to defend the rights of the poor He recalled that Easter last year provided a poignant message of hope as the faithful heard the proclamation "Christ is risen" and to entrust themselves to the Virgin of Carmel "to whom people turn for protection" the Carmelite religious consecrated themselves to the Virgin Mary seeking her protection and intercession for peace in Ukraine and the world "It is very striking that young people continue to die," he said they never give details; they never give numbers nor do they authorise us to say where we have been and they don't want us to say names of places Márquez also expressed his concern about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and its impact on civilians The Father General emphasised that the Order's commitment to the Ukrainian people begins with prayer which they believe to be a powerful and effective weapon for peace "I offered the Order to Our Lady of Mount Carmel," he said "I told her that we were in her hands to receive us as her children and to do with us what she did with Jesus to form us in her womb and to make us people of peace Márquez explained that the Carmelites continue to support the people of Ukraine economically by providing resources like food and medical equipment They have been receiving donations to help with this humanitarian effort Miguel Márquez emphasised that "our commitment is above all to be united to support our brothers who are supporting the people to continue to persevere in policies of justice in defending the rights of the poor." Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.In his first trip to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 Cardinal Pietro Parolin will meet with civil and religious leaders in the capital amid ongoing efforts to end the war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives Share The official purpose of the Vatican Secretary of State’s visit is to represent Pope Francis at the July 21 closing celebration of a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv The pilgrimage is the largest annual event organized by the Latin Church in Ukraine, one of the four sui iuris Catholic Churches in the country alongside the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Latin Catholics from across Ukraine — Europe’s second-largest country by area after Russia — will gather at the shrine to pray for peace before a revered icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary Bishop Vitaliy Skomarovskyi, president of Ukraine’s Latin Rite bishops’ conference told Vatican News that while bishops from other countries typically led the celebrations this year would mark the first time a Vatican Secretary of State has presided “This gesture expresses Pope Francis’ closeness to our people, and I hope this common prayer will bear great fruit,” he said Skomarovskyi stressed that there were “no completely safe places” in Ukraine but the celebrations in Berdychiv would follow security regulations “It would be completely different if there was no war,” he commented Leave a comment Parolin’s trip was scheduled to begin with a brief stop July 19 at the residence of Archbishop Mieczysław Mokrzycki in Lviv Before his appointment as Archbishop of Lviv of the Latins in 2008 Mokrzycki served as secretary to popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI Parolin will then travel to the historic southwestern port city of Odesa which Russia has repeatedly targeted with missiles and drones After celebrating the closing Mass of the Berdychiv pilgrimage, the cardinal will head to Kyiv, where he will visit the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s cathedral and greet the Eastern Church’s leader, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk Parolin will then meet with representatives from the country’s civil and religious authorities who has served as Secretary of State since 2013 previously visited Ukraine in June 2016 and August 2021 Vatican “foreign minister” Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher traveled to the country more recently Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has visited Ukraine eight times with Pope Francis’ blessing In June 2023, Vatican peace envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Working with the Vatican Secretariat of State Zuppi has sought humanitarian gestures such as the release of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia and prisoners of war Earlier this month, Olena Kondratiuk, the vice speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, expressed gratitude for the Holy See’s interventions she “noted the success of the Vatican’s efforts to return Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported children.” “The recent release of two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests from Russian captivity was due to the efforts and mediation of the Vatican,” she said, referring to the liberation of Fr more than 18 months after they were arrested in Russian-occupied Ukraine Parolin attended Switzerland’s Summit on Peace in Ukraine as an observer In an address the Holy See remains committed to maintaining regular communication with the Ukrainian and Russian authorities and remains prepared to assist in the implementation of potential mediation initiatives that are acceptable to all parties and benefit those who have been affected.” He later lamented Russia’s absence from the peace summit On the day Parolin departed for Ukraine, Pope Francis issued a message appealing for a global truce to be observed during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. “In these troubled times, when world peace is under serious threat, it is my fervent wish that everyone will take this truce to heart, in the hope of resolving conflicts and restoring harmony,” the pope said. ReplyShare 2 more comments...LatestNo posts The Vatican\u2019s top diplomat began a five-day visit Friday to war-torn Ukraine. \u00A9 Mazur/cbcew.org.uk.In his first trip to the country since Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion in February 2022 amid ongoing efforts to end the war that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. Share The official purpose of the Vatican Secretary of State\u2019s visit is to represent Pope Francis at the July 21 closing celebration of a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Berdychiv The pilgrimage is the largest annual event organized by the Latin Church in Ukraine, one of the four sui iuris Catholic Churches in the country Latin Catholics from across Ukraine \u2014 Europe\u2019s second-largest country by area after Russia \u2014 will gather at the shrine to pray for peace before a revered icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary Bishop Vitaliy Skomarovskyi, president of Ukraine\u2019s Latin Rite bishops\u2019 conference \u201CThis gesture expresses Pope Francis\u2019 closeness to our people, and I hope this common prayer will bear great fruit,\u201D he said Skomarovskyi stressed that there were \u201Cno completely safe places\u201D in Ukraine but the celebrations in Berdychiv would follow security regulations \u201CIt would be completely different if there was no war,\u201D he commented Leave a comment Parolin\u2019s trip was scheduled to begin with a brief stop July 19 at the residence of Archbishop Mieczys\u0142aw Mokrzycki in Lviv the largest city in western Ukraine. which Russia has repeatedly targeted with missiles and drones. After celebrating the closing Mass of the Berdychiv pilgrimage, the cardinal will head to Kyiv, where he will visit the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church\u2019s cathedral and greet the Eastern Church\u2019s leader, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk Parolin will then meet with representatives from the country\u2019s civil and religious authorities Vatican \u201Cforeign minister\u201D Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher traveled to the country more recently Papal almoner Cardinal Konrad Krajewski has visited Ukraine eight times with Pope Francis\u2019 blessing In June 2023, Vatican peace envoy Cardinal Matteo Zuppi traveled to Kyiv where he met with Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Earlier this month, Olena Kondratiuk, the vice speaker of Ukraine\u2019s parliament, expressed gratitude for the Holy See\u2019s interventions she \u201Cnoted the success of the Vatican\u2019s efforts to return Ukrainian prisoners of war and deported children.\u201D \u201CThe recent release of two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests from Russian captivity was due to the efforts and mediation of the Vatican,\u201D she said, referring to the liberation of Fr Parolin attended Switzerland\u2019s Summit on Peace in Ukraine as an observer. In an address and remains prepared to assist in the implementation of potential mediation initiatives that are acceptable to all parties and benefit those who have been affected.\u201D He later lamented Russia\u2019s absence from the peace summit. \u201CPeace is always made together,\u201D he said On the day Parolin departed for Ukraine, Pope Francis issued a message appealing for a global truce to be observed during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris it is my fervent wish that everyone will take this truce to heart in the hope of resolving conflicts and restoring harmony,\u201D the pope said. Subscribe now The sanctification rite took place at the site where a new church will be built in the city of Berdychiv A festive event and a sanctification rite took place at the place where the cross has been placed on September 15 who is responsible for the province of Zhytomyr-Ovrutsk The new Church of the Ascension of the Lord will be built in Byzantine style according to the Press Office of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Bishop Paisios addressed the attendees expressing gratitude for the parishioners and all those who had the initiative for the construction of the church and for those who implement it the Patriarchate of Jerusalem solemnly celebrated the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women... Archbishop Elpidophoros of America celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of the Theotokos.. it was announced that two Roman Catholic institutions in Bavaria have decided to jointly.. A car once used by Pope Francis during his 2014 visit to Bethlehem is being transformed into a mobile.. the Monastery of Saint Vlash in Albania hosted a festal Divine Liturgy on the.. Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece presided over the festal Great Vespers at the historic.. (function() { window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { listeners: [] cb) { window.mc4wp.listeners.push( { event : evt callback: cb } ); } } }})(); © 2023 OrthodoxTimes.com - All rights reserved Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website These cookies do not store any personal information Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page is in the small kitchen of a Soviet-era apartment “It reminds me of the dishes from my childhood.” and his broad shoulders hint at his time on the front lines in Zaporizhzhia a division of the Foreign Legion specializing in close combat and affiliated with the government of Ichkeria (the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic) in exile in Kyiv Benor is enjoying a brief moment of respite in the rear He dips large chunks of boiled meat into the garlic sauce and eats them in hearty bites Benor is a veteran of the Second Chechen War took part in his country’s 1993 war against Russian-backed Abkhaz separatists “Following the phone call between U.S President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin an American delegation led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Riyadh and met with the Russian foreign minister who was scheduled to visit Riyadh the same day The last light of the day lingers on Vakha’s face “I’m not interested in politics anymore All I can say is that Russia will never honor its commitments not in Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea So why would it now?” says the 60-year-old he joined the Ukrainian army at the very start of the war “I don’t really know why anymore I just couldn’t sit back and do nothing.” his life has been a cycle of frontline battles “I don’t feel nostalgic for any homeland I feel at home everywhere — on the front and even here in Berdychiv,” he laughs Benor dreams of spending his final days in his homeland he joined the Chechen resistance during the Second Chechen War this conflict pitted Chechen Muslim independence fighters led by Dzhokhar Dudayev (to whom Benor has no family ties) Taking advantage of Russia’s weakened post-Soviet power and their region’s mountainous terrain the separatists secured an initial victory culminating in the Khasavyurt Agreements (1996) which forced a Russian military withdrawal under the pretext of an anti-terrorist operation then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin launched a new military intervention the Chechen separatists surrendered in 2009 Chechnya has been reintegrated into the Russian Federation and is ruled by the Kadyrov clan “Every day was like Bucha,” Benor recalls the Russians would raid our villages and massacre men They killed more than 100,000 people and destroyed every city in the country.” also joined the Ukrainian army in March 2022 “Only the downfall of Russia will one day allow me to see my homeland again Though he doesn’t express a particular desire to return home through its ally Alexander Lukashenko — the pro-Russian dictator of Belarus — has sold off his future and forced him into exile “I came here because I had Ukrainian friends and saw what Russia was doing.” the Belarusian KGB has tried to intimidate his family back home. “They’ve arrested my relatives multiple times to get information about what I’m doing in Ukraine,” he says And they want to do the same thing in Ukraine They want to destroy the Ukrainian language and everything that even remotely opposes the Kremlin And if they can’t install a dictator like Lukashenko in Ukraine Ukrainians should keep on fighting.” neither man expected the war to last this long I lost my country because of that so-called peace agreement (the Khasavyurt Accords) They took their time to rearm while dividing us They will try to do the same thing with Ukraine He’s a liar and a murderer,” Berkhi says in hesitant French Ukraine must keep fighting because this is a matter of survival for Europe I get flashbacks to the Chechen peace talks in 1996-1997 A peace treaty with Russia is worth no more than the paper it’s written on,” he says rebuild their army and resources — I’m 100% sure of it,” he continues “That’s exactly what they did with Chechnya They will use everything they have to take full control of Ukraine knows what the Kremlin’s word is worth Georgia has a pro-Russian president.” is nothing short of Ukraine’s capitulation and children into battle if they have to.” could also use a ceasefire to rearm and prepare for the next war He holds onto the prophecy of Dzhokhar Dudayev the leader of the Ichkerian independence movement “Russia will fall when the Ukrainian sun rises.” *Last names have been withheld for safety reasons Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression jewish celebrities Actor David Duchovny, known for “The X-Files,” “The Chair” and, most recently, playing a Jewish father in the controversial Netflix movie “You People,” has long known about his European Jewish roots His paternal grandfather Moshe came from Berdychiv Yet in an episode of “Finding Your Roots” which airs this Tuesday discovers that his grandfather and his family made a couple of pit stops on their way to the U.S were violently expelled from the state one night in December of 1914 by the local Ottoman government In an exclusive clip from “Finding Your Roots,” Duchovny gets emotional as he reads about the fate that befell his great-grandparents and his grandfather Bedouin police invaded the Jewish quarter of Jaffa and forced them out of their homes with only bags and meager belongings the “relatively orderly” deportation turned violent jewelry was ripped off women and parents and children were separated with the young ones “carried from […] the quayside.” “There were desperate appeals on every side in the darkness Everyone arrived in Alexandria resourceless,” the clipping about the event reads “Are you saying that my family was in that or is this just something that happened?” a stunned Duchovny asks host Henry Louis Gates who confirms that his ancestors were among the 6000 deported to Egypt like that “And treated like this?” a tearful and visibly emotional Duchovny inquires The Duchovnys’ expulsion was part of mass deportations of Jews from Jaffa and Tel Aviv that started when the Turks sided with the Central Powers during WWI who were previously treated fairly enough by the local government were seen as a risk to national security and possible collaborators with the Allied Forces Tens of thousands of Jews who lived in Jaffa and Tel Aviv were forcibly deported in the years of the war; quite a few didn’t survive the expulsions The Duchovnys, however, did finally make in to New York, where David’s grandfather, Moshe, became a celebrated Yiddish writer who wrote for a local Orthodox Zionist-leaning Yiddish paper — the Forward recently unearthed clippings about how beloved he was by the local Jewish community as he was known — worked as a publicist for the American Jewish Committee and later for Brandeis Duchovny himself has continued this legacy of Jewish penmanship. He is a writer of five books, including “Holy Cow,” which tells the tale of a pig named Shalom who converts to Judaism and solves the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “My father was a kind of cultural Jew, I’d say,” Duchovny told the New York Times. “So if I have a Jewish sensibility Duchovny’s episode of “Finding Your Roots” airs this Tuesday at 8 ET/7 CT Lior Zaltzman is the deputy managing editor of Kveller By submitting I agree to the privacy policy Cardinal Pietro Parolin visited Ukraine a month ago for the concluding celebration of a pilgrimage at the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv The Vatican’s secretary of state expressed concern about the effect of the Ukrainian offensive onto Russian territory on the trajectory of the war Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the Russian western region of Kursk with Ukrainian forces claiming control of over 1,000 square kilometres inside Russia President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the Ukrainian objective in Kursk was defensive Russia’s President Vladimir Putin pledged to “squeeze out” and “drive the enemy out” although his forces initially struggled to respond Commenting last week on the latest developments in the war, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said he feared the Ukrainian army’s action might lead to a further escalation in hostilities “These are very worrying developments because it means opening new fronts,” Parolin said the chances for peace could become increasingly distant.” Zelenskiy called on the UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer to allow Ukraine to use UK-supplied weapons inside Russia Previously, Cardinal Parolin warned of the danger of “uncontrollable escalation” if weapons provided by Nato to the Ukrainian military were to be used on targets inside Russia He warned that allowing Kyiv to use these weapons “could entail an escalation that no one will be able to control any longer” Parlolin visited Ukraine a month ago for the concluding celebration of a pilgrimage at the Marian Shrine of Berdychiv, west of Kyiv. He visited several cities in Ukraine and met with President Zelenskiy, expressing the Pope’s solidarity with Ukraine and the Holy See’s commitment to “a just and lasting peace” A humanitarian assistance donation coordinated by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski a city close to the Russia-Ukraine border which Russian forces have targeted since 2022 The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Exarch of Kharkiv, Bishop Vasyl Tuchapets, expressed his gratitude for the donations, which he said was “vital” and “requested by many people”, with conditions still seriously unstable many people have been evacuated from the border towns and villages where the hostilities are raging,” Bishop Tuchapets explained and people come every day asking for food and basic essentials Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna and president of the Italian bishops’ conference, resumed his role as the Pope’s peace envoy for Ukraine last week with a telephone conversation with Li Hui the Chinese government’s representative for Eurasian Affairs The Vatican said it was as a “cordial conversation” with both parties expressing hope for a lasting peace while acknowledging the fragility of the situation Get the latest news and special offers delivered to your inbox Subscribe Advertise Jobs About us Permissions Help Contact us [email protected] Ivan Kuzminsky, 39, soldier and director of the TV channel for children "Malyatko TV", was killed in a battle with the Russian occupiers near Dibrova, Luhansk oblast, on May 17, reports the Berdychiv City Council He took music classes in childhood and graduated the Kyiv Conservatory (now the P Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine) With the start of Russia's full-scale invasion Ivan Kuzminsky is the 59th media worker who died as a result of Russia's aggression Photo provided by the Berdychiv City Council Reprinting and disseminating our information is allowed but under strictly condition of reference to the source the police received a report from a resident of the Berdychiv district about the beating of her daughter by a roommate law enforcement found out that while the woman was in the hospital During the communication with the little ones the applicant learned about the injuries of her middle daughter and asked for help Employees of the investigative and operational team of the Berdychiv district police department the juvenile inspector and representatives of the territorial community children's services immediately left at the address indicated by the applicant A 31-year-old woman told police she lives with a roommate who is the father of her youngest 7-year-old son were born in the applicant's first marriage she was hospitalized due to injuries sustained in a beating by a roommate all three children ended up under his supervision the woman learned that an 8-year-old daughter suffered at the hands of a man law enforcement officers went to the address indicated by the mother as the place of stay of her children the injured girl and her brothers are under the supervision of doctors until the issue of the safety of their further stay in the family is resolved Police officers initiated criminal proceedings on the grounds of the offense provided for in Part 1 of Art 125 (Intentional light bodily harm) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine The investigation of all the circumstances of the incident and the severity of the injuries received by the child continues the police remind: you can instantly call law enforcement for help by downloading the “My Pol” application on your mobile phone (free The application is easy to use and even children can install it themselves and in case of danger be able to quickly seek help Zhytomyr Oblast Police Communications Department Berdichevsky District Police Department We use cookies to provide you with better navigation on our website you automatically agree to the use of these technologies there have been 50 combat clashes recorded on the front line within the past day according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The enemy launched 2 missile strikes and 43 airstrikes conducting 39 shelling attacks with rocket artillery systems on the positions of our troops and civilian settlements the operational situation remains unchanged with no significant changes observed in the formation of enemy offensive groupings the enemy maintains military presence in the border areas conducts sabotage and reconnaissance activities carries out shelling of settlements from the territory of the Russian Federation and increases the density of mine-explosive barriers along the state border of Ukraine The enemy launched airstrikes in the areas of the populated areas of Popivka and Vozdvizhenska in the Sumy region including Liskivschyna in the Chernihiv region; Stara Huta were shelled by enemy artillery and mortars the enemy did not conduct offensive (assault) actions They carried out airstrikes in the areas of the populated areas of Hlushkivka the Defense Forces repelled 6 attacks in the areas of the populated areas of Terny and the Serebrianske forestry in the Luhansk region The enemy launched airstrikes in the areas of the populated areas of Terny and Zarichne in the Donetsk region our troops repelled 12 attacks in the areas of the populated areas of Verkhniokamyanske They carried out an airstrike in the area of Spirne in the Donetsk region our defenders repelled 9 attacks in the areas of the populated areas of Ocheretyne attempted to displace our units from occupied positions They also conducted airstrikes in the areas of the populated areas of Pervomaiske the Defense Forces continue to restrain the enemy in the areas of the populated areas of Krasnohorivka and Novomykhailivka in the Donetsk region where the enemy attempted to break through our troops' defense 14 times They also conducted airstrikes in the areas of Antonivka and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region came under enemy artillery and mortar fire the enemy attacked our defenders' positions three times in the areas of Staramaiorske in the Donetsk region and Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region They conducted an airstrike in the vicinity of the populated area of Staramaiorske in Donetsk region were subjected to artillery and mortar shelling the enemy persists in its intention to displace our units from bridgeheads on the left bank of the Dnipro River they made five unsuccessful attacks on the positions of our troops in the vicinity of the populated area of Krynky in Kherson region They conducted airstrikes in the areas of the populated areas of Berislav the Defense Forces aviation conducted strikes on 5 areas of personnel concentration and 1 enemy command post Missile troops units inflicted strikes on 1 area of enemy personnel concentration In the morning summary from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on April 16, it was reported that there were 104 clashes on the front line in Ukraine throughout the day Military command noted that the largest number of enemy assaults were recorded in the Bakhmut and Avdiivka directions Defense Forces repelled 33 enemy attacks on the Bakhmut direction while the occupiers attempted to breach the defense of Ukrainian defenders 30 times on the Novopavlivka direction The center of training in safe behavior started in the gymnasium N11 m It is equipped with means of visibility and locations in the areas of civil protection The all-Ukrainian project “Safety Class” for Berdychiv fourth graders started with the Safety Lesson Children remembered what violations of the rules in everyday life can lead to a fire how to use fire extinguishers and improvised means to extinguish it told how to act if explosive or similar objects are found and where these dangerous items can be disguised Safety training has become interesting thanks to riddles coloring pages from the UN Children's Fund UNICEF in Ukraine Completed this cognitive day with a lesson - a cartoon from the dog “Cartridge” The children even managed to work out the evacuation order to the shelter because there was a real air alarm and the lesson was continued in the shelter although the students of the 5th and 7th grades also joined its second part the mayor and representatives of the community ended with a sweet cake and cookies from the savior hero - “Patron” at 21:10 the 101 Rescue Service received a message that at the railway station of the city A child climbed onto the goods wagon in Berdychiv emergency responders found that a 14-year-old boy was lying on the car while conscious in a state of shock After the contact network was de-energized the specialists of the State Emergency Service using a three-knee ladder a lifeline and a stretcher removed the boy from the car and handed him over to emergency doctors The victim was hospitalized in the intensive care unit of the Central City Hospital as a result of electric shock from the contact network he received 40% of body burns of 2 and 3 degrees He graduated from secondary school with a gold medal and worked as a tool maker in the Berdychiv machine-tool plant "Komsomolets" he enrolled in the Department of the International Relations and International Law of Kyiv State University of Taras Shevchenko and graduated from the university in 1982 1982–1985 — lectured in the department of propaganda and cultural work of the Dnipropetrovsk regional committee of Komsomol of Ukraine 1985–1990 — head of department of ideological work in the Central Committee of Komsomol of Ukraine 1990–1994 — head of the secretariat of the parliamentary committee on youth July 1994 – December 1995 — First Assistant leader of assistants and consultants group for the President of Ukraine Olexander Razumkov publicly expressed his disagreement with the style and system of informing the President of Ukraine and voluntarily resigned from his post January 1996 – June 1997 — head of expert council of the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies at the request of the President of Ukraine he returned to work in public organizations 1999 — Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine He continued to lead the council of experts of the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies From December 1997 — Head of the Ukrainian subsection of the strategic group for Ukraine-Russia relations for his significant role in strengthening the national security of Ukraine Olexander Razumkov was awarded the nominal firearm by the President of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Minister of Defense the Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies was named after Olexander Razumkov by the founders of the Ukrainian think tank.