Working with the Ukrainian Bible Society and military chaplains, David Hathaway’s Ministry in Ukraine made a special trip to the ‘red zone’ in eastern Ukraine, to distribute Bibles and various humanitarian items. The ‘red zone’ is classified as an area not controlled by either Ukraine or the Russian separatists. For this trip in October 2019, we were able to reach people living 200 metres from the contested city of Donetsk.

The purpose of these visits is to show the love of God both practically and spiritually to those living and working in such dangerous conditions.

Donetsk has been the epicenter of a violent conflict between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists. Since the start of the conflict in 2014, there have been more than 20 ceasefires, each intended to remain in force indefinitely, but none of them stopped the violence. It is estimated that over 10,000 people have been killed during this conflict, and over 1.5 million are classified as internally displaced (source: https://www.cfr.org/interactive/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/conflict-ukraine) David Hathaway's Ministry in Ukraine, with the Ukrainian Bible Society, regularly visit the estimated 280 miles of front line, to provide humanitarian aid and spiritual counsel to those living and working in such violent conditions.

David Hathaway’s Ministry regularly holds a Day of Prayer for Ukraine - praying for peace, unity and forgiveness. The event is supported by all the major Christian denominations in Ukraine.