Alexandr drew his comrades in the drone squad close and asked for silence before he began to pray: “Protect our lives, preserve us from injuries. Let the angels of heaven cover us with their wings. Turn the mines away from us, keep the FPVs (First Person View drones) far away. Lord, protect us. Lord, guide us. Amen” Then they climbed into the pickup on their way to a dugout on the tree line. Behind them lies a road with burnt-out anti-drone nets, tank traps, and coils of barbed wire.
Ukrainian troops and Russian troops are involved in a life and death conflict in the Donetsk region There is no safe place in this war, least of all on the outskirts of Pokrovsk. Russia has been sending thousands of troops and dozens of armoured vehicles into this sector, one of the five Ukrainian strongholds in Eastern Ukraine.
Fighting in Donetsk has gone on for 12 years. In mid-August, the Russian troops punched a hole in Ukraine’s lines, threatening both Pokrovsk and nearby Kostiantinivka, but the advance was partly contained. Charred and shattered, Pokrovsk remains a bastion where a significant number of Ukrainian units are positioned, but “Z” troops are getting closer.
As a drone approached Alexandr and his comrades its whines grew louder and louder, but they couldn’t spot it. The buzz stopped, but the rotor hum started again. Like a scavenger bird over a carcass, the drone circled above the treetops before it began to drop. An explosion ripped through a tree, followed by faint ringing in the ears. God had heard their prayers – it’s time to get out!
In Psalm 91 God makes wonderful promises which Alexandr and his comrades claimed in the heat of battle: “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. The Lord alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.’”