Abstract
A central tenet of international humanitarian law states that in armed conflict, “It is unlawful to target civilians.” Stressing this prohibition in the case of the Russian assault on vulnerable Ukrainian civilians is not only the United Nations but the European Union, the World Health Organization, the Office of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine, representing 75 Ukrainian and international NGOs assisting Ukraine in the present war. Zaher Sahloul, president and co-founder of MedGlobal, argues in favor of a recognition of Russia’s current efforts “to erase Ukrainian identity and culture” as a genocide. From a Christian perspective, Russia’s deliberate targeting of Ukrainian civilians and civilian infrastructure in general, and a children’s hospital and maternity clinic in particular, is noxious and reprehensible. At the same time, regional and transnational church bodies, parachurch ministries, and individual believers have tended to focus less upon charges of Russian warcrimes—justifiable as these charges are—concentrating instead primarily upon practical humanitarian relief for a traumatized Ukrainian population. This author previously drew attention to a representative sampling of over two dozen denominations and ministries demonstrating “Best Practices in Protestant Aid for Ukrainian Refugees.”43 In keeping with this theme, following the Russian missile assault of July 8, 2024, Irpin Bible Church volunteers were quick on the scene to “set up their mobile food van to help feed people working amidst the rubble” of the Okhmatdyt Pediatric Hospital.44 Hopefully there will be studies by Orthodox and Catholic researchers who will document the commendable humanitarian efforts of their Christian confessions.
Recommended Citation
Elliott, Mark R.
(2024)
"Civilians Under Siege In War-torn Ukraine: Human Rights NGO And Faith-based Responses,"
Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 44
:
Iss.
6
, Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2545
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol44/iss6/4