During the recent solidarity visit to Ukraine a World Council of Churches (WCC) delegation was welcomed at the Banchen monastery in the Chernivtsi region of Ukraine witnessing its active involvement supporting and sheltering victims of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine Luke's clinic built in the territory of the Banchen monastery in Ukraine during the first three days of the invasion 6,000 people arrived in Chernivtsi from east of Ukraine “Our monks left their rooms so the refugees can stay there,” said Bishop Kleopa of Novoselytsya vicar of the Chernivtsi and Bukovyna Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church “And other monasteries in the area have done the same.” Around 13,000 refugees have been hosted in Banchen since February Some of them have left for other countries in Europe; some of them plan to return to their homes once it is safe to do so But many people who flee do not have means to leave the country Children's playground and residential buildings destroyed by shelling in Irpin “People can stay in Banchen while the war lasts,” said Kleopa adding that many of the refugees have lost their homes twice:—first in the Donetsk or Luhansk region where Russian aggression started in 2014 which had been their refuge until it was destroyed by invasion in February this year “We have refugees who are staying with us for three years,” said Kleopa The Holy Ascension men’s monastery in Banchen also has its hotel mostly families fleeing the destruction of war from cities like Kharkiv One of the recently arrived refugees from Donetsk region Klavdia, has found shelter at the Banchen monastery guest house Klavdia is one of the refugees from Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region a Ukrainian city close to the Romanian border one of the areas of Ukraine least affected by war “But it was so difficult to find a flat to rent in a city the demand due to refugee influx is very high – therefore we are very grateful for the opportunity to stay in Banchen,” said Klavdia Banchen monastery also operates the hospital Hospital services are appreciated by the local community because of the high professionalism of its doctors and accessibility of the modern medical equipment made possible by the donors of the monastery founded by the The Holy Ascension Banchen monastery Among the staff are many nuns of the nearby woman’s monastery Three months after the Russian invasion they have received 300 orphans from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine Among them are 70 children from Kramatorsk the whole orphanage of Kramatorsk with children of three months to six years of age along with a few of the personnel and other people who helped on their way through bombings because a few days later the train station from where they left was bombed,” said Kleopa referring to the Kramatorsk train station bombing widely reported in the news when a Russian strike on 8 April killed 59 civilians and wounded more than 110 Among the staff of the orphanage at Banchen are people who helped children to flee the war zones and remained with them when reached safety in Banchen The main focus of the orphanage is care for children with disabilities and special needs Kleopa shares that recently a group of children with special needs from the city of Kherson in the occupied part of South Ukraine were not allowed to come to Banchen “These children were sheltered in a basement while due to their condition they need a full-time care special treatment and equipment,” said Kleopa equipment—we were ready to receive them,” shared Kleopa when they learned that Russian-controlled occupation authorities of Kherson will not grant permission to the children to leave to the Ukraine side “We do not know what has happened with them since then” Children at the Banchen orphanage are glad to interact with bishop Kleopa of Novoselytsya Work of the Banchen monastery is just one of the many examples of how churches in Ukraine are helping the victims of war The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations has repeatedly called on world leaders and church hierarchs to take urgent measures to stop the blockade of cities of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and to organize humanitarian corridors in order to evacuate residents of Ukrainian cities and towns from areas where active hostilities are taking place to safe places of their own choosing UCCRO Appeal on the provision of air defense for Ukraine and humanitarian corridors for the rescue of civilians Photo gallery from the WCC visit at the Banchen monastery WCC acting general secretary in Ukraine: “We came here to show our solidarity” (WCC press release, 08 August 2022 Religious communities in Ukraine meet with World Council of Churches, call to stop the war (WCC news release 8 August 2022) WCC delegation visits Ukraine amidst the ongoing war (WCC news release 6 August 2022) Interior at the main church of the The Holy Ascension men’s monastery in Banchen Please fill in this form if you would like to receive news and updates from the WCC by email Ecumenical CentreKyoto BuildingChemin du Pommier 42CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex Residents of the northern Ukrainian town of Novoselytsya should seek shelter after an ammonia leak at a nearby chemical factory as intense fighting with Russian forces in the area continues Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky said there had been an "ammonia leakage" at the Sumykhimprom facility affecting an area within 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) of the plant The extent and cause of the incident was not immediately clear but residents were told to seek refuge in basements or on lower levels of buildings to avoid exposure basements and lower floors should be used for protection," Zhyvytsky said in a Telegram message He added that emergency crews were at the scene and prevailing winds meant the nearby city of Sumy — with a pre-war population of around 250,000 — was not under immediate threat According to Sumykhimprom's website the facility produces a range of chemical fertilizers.  about 350 kilometers (220 miles) east of Kyiv In recent days the Russian government has intensified propaganda and disinformation efforts alleging Ukraine is preparing to use improvised chemical weapons and has been developing a clandestine WMD program The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed late Sunday that "nationalists" had "mined" ammonia and chlorine storage facilities at Sumykhimprom "with the aim of mass poisoning of residents of the Sumy region in case of entry into the city of units of the Russian Armed Forces." Russia has repeatedly denied helping Syria use chemical weapons in multiple attacks against its own citizens during the country's 11-year-old civil war Moscow has also denied using chemical weapons against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as well as ex Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia 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 Novoselytsya residents told to avoid exposure to leakage after the Sumykhimprom facility was shelled Residents of the northern Ukrainian town of Novoselytsya should seek shelter after shelling caused an ammonia leak at a nearby chemical factory According to an update from the Sumy regional military administration “As a result of the shelling 1 tank with ammonia was damaged,” Ukraine’s state emergency services said in an update on its Telegram account adding that as of 5am there was a slight leakage of ammonia Rescue workers were fixing a damaged pipeline and an employee at the plant was reportedly injured О 07:49 аварію по викиду аміаку у м. Суми на території ПАТ «Сумихімпром» ліквідовано ☑️Працівниками підприємства розпочато регламентні роботи по відновленню технологічного процесу. pic.twitter.com/eK1iEUZJCw Sumy regional governor, Dmytro Zhyvytskyiy, said the leak was reported at 4.30am local time at the Sumykhimprom plant in an update posted to his official Telegram on Monday morning. “As a result of Russian enemy shelling, a tank with ammonia with a capacity of 50 tonnes was damaged,” Zhyvytskyiy said, adding that there was no threat to the population of Sumy. He said the area within a 2.5km radius around the plant was hazardous, adding that residents should seek refuge in shelters and basements for protection while describing ammonia as a “colourless gas with a pungent suffocating odour”. “Ammonia is lighter than air, therefore shelters, basements and lower floors should be used for protection,” Zhyvytsky said in a Telegram message. Read moreHe added that emergency crews were at the scene and prevailing winds meant the nearby city of Sumy – with a prewar population of about 250,000 – was not under immediate threat According to Sumykhimprom’s website the facility produces a range of chemical fertilisers In recent days the Russian government has intensified propaganda and disinformation efforts alleging Ukraine is preparing to use improvised chemical weapons and has been developing a clandestine weapon of mass destruction programme The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed late Sunday that “nationalists” had “mined” ammonia and chlorine storage facilities at Sumykhimprom “with the aim of mass poisoning of residents of the Sumy region in case of entry into the city of units of the Russian Armed Forces” Russia has repeatedly denied helping Syria use chemical weapons in multiple attacks against its own citizens during the country’s 11-year-old civil war Moscow has also denied using chemical weapons against Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as well as ex Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. An ammonia gas leak in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy was detected early Monday as Russian forces continued to shell a chemical plant on the city’s outskirts following concerns raised by Western officials that Russia may attempt to trigger an incident to justify the use of chemical weapons Maxar satellite imagery of building damage and crowds of people in central Sumy Sumy regional governor Dmytro Zhyvytsky reported the gas leak on his official Telegram channel warning that an area of around 2.5 km (1.5 miles) has been impacted Zhyvytsky noted that there was no direct threat to the city of Sumy at the moment but noted that the direction of the wind puts the nearby town of Novoselytsya at risk Ukrainian emergency crews are currently working to contain the leak while the city’s residents are being advised to move to lower floors or basements as a precaution Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts.  Forbes Community GuidelinesOur community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's Terms of Service.  We've summarized some of those key rules below Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain: User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in: Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's Terms of Service. At least six people were killed in an overnight bombing on a shopping centre in Ukraine's capital Kyiv Six bodies were laid out in front of the "Retroville" shopping mall in the northwest of Kyiv The building had been hit by a powerful blast that pulverised vehicles in its car park and left a crater several metres wide.  affecting an area within 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) of the plant He added that emergency crews were at the scene and prevailing winds meant the nearby city of Sumy -- with a pre-war population of around 250,000 -- was not under immediate threat According to Sumykhimprom's website the facility produces a range of chemical fertilisers.  about 350 kilometres (220 miles) east of Kyiv In recent days the Russian government has intensified propaganda and disinformation efforts alleging Ukraine is preparing to use improvised chemical weapons and has been developing a clandestine WMD programme The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed late Sunday that "nationalists" had "mined" ammonia and chlorine storage facilities at Sumykhimprom "with the aim of mass poisoning of residents of the Sumy region in case of entry into the city of units of the Russian Armed Forces".  please register for free or log in to your account.