Bishop Stanislav Shyrokoradiuk of Kharkiv-Zaporizha spoke about the dire war-torn situation in Eastern Ukraine, including the growing number of refugees and people dying of hunger.
Speaking to employees of Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity, Bishop Shyrokoradiuk said, "The situation in the war zones is catastrophic. There is hunger. More than 80 people have already died of it in Luhansk and Donetsk."
The bishop also spoke of war in the east affecting western Ukraine.
"The war may seem far away. But in reality, many young men from the western part of the country have joined the war. Just recently, a row of fir trees was felled in the cemetery of Lutsk to bury 13 young soldiers."
"The war is ever-present. We notice that financial resources are being used for it; many things in the social sector have been stopped. However, people are now doing a lot more on their own initiative, solidarity is growing among the people," Bishop Skomarovsky added.
The Bishop also emphasised the growing number of refugees from the war-torn areas in the nation. He estimates there are over 20,000 refugees in Kharkiv today.
Ukraine has a bloody history with over 50,000 people killed by Ukrainian nationalists in the 40s. The massacre was ignored by the Nazis who occupied the nation during those times. Because of this sordid history, many parishes in Ukraine remain empty up to the present day.
"We receive shipments of relief supplies and medicine from Western Europe. We need this help, Christian solidarity, but also political aid," the Bishop stated, stressing on the Church's limited political power in the region.