After almost 10 years of war, the Russian invasion forces have finally captured Avdiivka, a town near Donetsk, having almost wiped out the entire settlement.
But the footage aired by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows that the Church of Mary Magdalene in Avdiivka survived the onslaught, reports the Christians against War Telegram channel.
“This is a miracle of God, the Lord is merciful. The temple is such a comfort for both unfortunate civilians and soldiers. So it is very joyful,” said the chief military priest of the Russian Orthodox Church, Archpriest Dimitrii Vasylenko.
It should be recalled that 530 religious buildings have been damaged in Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. The largest number of churches destroyed by the Russians are located in the regions where hostilities are taking or have taken place.
There are more than 100 such churches in Donetsk region, more than 80 in Kyiv region, over 60 in Luhansk and Kharkiv regions, more than 55 in Kherson region, and over 30 in Zaporizhzhia region.
Also, dozens of religious buildings have been damaged in Sumy, Chernihiv, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
