The Fallen, the Displaced, and the Conscripted

Update by Marty Stan:

 I recently returned from Ukraine following a long but fruitful trek through multiple cities and regions including war zones in the east.  Of course, these days all of Ukraine is considered volatile. I traveled with representatives of Mercy Projects and Freeway Kyiv as we brought relief and encouragement to Ukrainian colleagues, pastors, internally displaced families, and soldiers. 

Fallen

As the war rages on we see a constant increase in the numbers of the fallen, the internally displaced, and warriors that are conscripted.  I visited the Maidan Square Memorial again in downtown Kyiv. The number of flags and photos of those that have perished in the war continues to grow dramatically. Through November 2025, it is reported that 1,118 foreign volunteer deaths have occurred since February 2022.  You can see many non-Ukrainian flags at this memorial.

Maidan Square, Kyiv

IDP

As of January 2025 It is estimated that there are approximately 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDP) in Ukraine. Many are left homeless looking for a new place to live as a result of nearby fighting or Russian occupation.

IDP Family receiving gift to help them through the winter

Conscripted

Due to the ever-increasing demand for soldiers, check points are established in most cities across Ukraine.  As vehicles are stopped at any of the check points on the road, soldiers check to see whether male passengers have previously joined the military. The conscription age in Ukraine is 25 years old. However, under martial law, men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country. We heard numerous stories of men that were immediately directed to report for registration following a check point stop.

Support For the Warriors

It was a huge privilege for us to deliver support to the brave warriors that are on the front lines of the fighting.  We distributed tourniquets, pressure bandages, clothing, and food items. They were grateful for all of the items that we delivered.

Unloading supplies for warriors

 Support For Internally Displaced Families

We traveled to a village in the north and met with internally displaced families from the war zone.  Due to generous donations we were able to distribute gift bags to children containing pillows, sheets, pajamas, socks, and candy. It was a time of joy and tears as the kids opened the bags. It’s always heart breaking to meet families that have lost their homes. They have to find new jobs in a new locations where they don’t know anyone.  We met IDP families that found churches to attend in the new locations and this helped significantly to ease the burden of the displacement.

Displaced Family adopted a sibling group at the request of their fallen soldier son

Hearts of Love Center in the center of the bombing

 Support For Special Needs

 Our final stop was at a Special Needs Center in the war zone. This center has been faithfully serving their town for 20 years. The center provides daily activities and therapy for kids that have various special needs including autism, downs syndrome, and others. This service enables the mothers of the kids to take care of daily life duties while their kids are being cared for during the day.  This therapy literally transforms the lives of both the kids and the mothers which enables the families to continue down this very difficult road.  They frequently have drone and missile activity in the area as the war rages on. We were able to provide them with a backup generator for the constant power outages due to the war. We also delivered food and various items for personal hygiene.   God bless the director, the staff, and the families at this center as they live and serve the people in the war zone.