As Russia steps up its war on Ukraine, fighting has intensified around the southern city of Kherson. George Thomas of CBN News accompanied a brave group of Christians bringing aid and comfort to those trapped between the two armies.
SCRIPT:
AID VOLUNTEERS REACH BESEIGED UKRAINE CITY
by George Thomas CBN News GTH178 2024-06-10
INTRO (use as brief description also):
As Russia steps up its war on Ukraine, fighting has intensified around the southern city of Kherson. George Thomas of CBN News accompanied a brave group of Christians bringing aid and comfort to those trapped between the two armies
REPORT:
[NATS OF CAR DRIVING DOWN VILLAGE ROAD WITH TIRES BLOWN OUT]
(“This is my friend Vitaly. We are running. Trying to escape from the drone.”)
VO: ON AN ISOLATED ROAD, NORTH OF UKRAINE’S FRONTLINE BATTLE WITH RUSSIAN FORCES HERE IN KHERSON…
[NATS OF CAR DRIVING DOWN VILLAGE ROAD WITH TIRES BLOWN OUT]
VO: …CBN NEWS JOINED A CONVOY OF CARS BRINGING URGENT AID TO VILLAGERS TRAPPED BY FIGHTING, AS A RUSSIAN DRONE NARROWLY MISSES THE LEAD CAR CARRYING PASTOR VITALY.
[NATS OF CAR DRIVING DOWN VILLAGE ROAD WITH TIRES BLOWN OUT]
VO: MOVING FORWARD, WE SEE THE DAMAGE. ALL FOUR TIRES RIPPED TO SHREDS. WINDOWS SHATTERED AND SHRAPNEL THROUGHOUT THE CAR. FORTUNATELY, PASTOR VITALY AND THE OTHERS ARE MIRACULOUSLY UNHARMED.
[NATS OF CAR DRIVING DOWN VILLAGE ROAD WITH TIRES BLOWN OUT]
VO: THEY DRIVE A FEW MORE MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE OUT OF DRONE RANGE.
YEVHENIY BONDARENKO
“This is how things look like in Kherson but since no one was injured and God protected us and all the vehicles so that’s ok.”
“That’s our neighbor, she was killed in that house.
George: This was your neighbor? She died here?
Yevheniy: Yes, an elderly lady she died here. And all the buildings are damaged and there are people who are already waiting for us.”
[NATS Yevheniy Bondarenko unloading supplies]
VO: OUR GUIDE, YEVHENIY BONDARENKO, FULLY UNDERSTANDS THE RISKS INVOLVED IN A WAR ZONE.
HE SERVES WITH MISSION EURASIA, A CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATION THAT’S BEEN MINISTERING HERE SINCE WAR STARTED IN 2022.
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(edited out because of war footage permission)
BONDARENKO IS FROM KHERSON.
[NATS of artillery fire]
VO: MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, ARTILLERY AND MORTAR FIRE RAIN DOWN ON THE CITY AS BOTH SIDES DEFEND THEIR POSITIONS.
——————————
STANDUP: GEORGE THOMAS, KHERSON, UKRAINE
“WHAT YOU ARE SEEING THERE IS A TRIBUTARY THAT LEADS TO THE DNIPER RIVER. THE DNIPER RIVER IN ESSENCE DIVIDES THE CITY OF KHER SON INTO TWO. THE LEFT BANK BEHIND ME IS CONTROLLED BY THE UKRAINIANS. THE RIGHT BANK IS CONTROLLED BY THE RUSSIANS. THERE IS LESS THAN 3 MILES THAT SEPARATES THE TWO ARMIES.”
[NATS of aid distribution]
VO: 85 PERCENT OF KHERSON RESIDENTS FLED MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO. BONDARENKO STAYED BACK TO BRING AID AND COMFORT TO THOSE REMAINING.
ON THIS DAY, AS RUSSIAN FORCES LAUNCHED MORTARS TOWARD UKRAINIAN POSITIONS, CBN NEWS WITNESSED BONDARENKO AND A FELLOW PASTOR MOVE QUICKLY AS EXPLOSIONS GO OFF NEARBY…TO DISTRIBUTE SUPPLIES TO DOZENS OF RESIDENTS TRAPPED BETWEEN THE TWO ARMIES.
OLENA, DARTING OUT OF HER HOME STILL WEARING HER NIGHT GOWN, HOLDS HER YOUNG SON TIGHT AND WAITS IN LINE.
OLENA, Kherson Resident (female)
“This is our home. Yes, of course, we are scared, but where else can we go? War is everywhere. At least we don’t feel abandoned today, that someone has come with aid and cares for us.”
VO: BONDARENKO TAKES TIME AT THE END TO SHARE A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT FROM THE BIBLE AND LEADS THE GROUP IN PRAYER FOR SAFETY.
NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT ANASTASIA IS TOUCHED BY THE MINISTRY TIME.
ANASTASIA, Kherson Resident
“I realize my confidence and boldness must come from the Bible. God says to rely on Him and He will not abandon us.”
VO: THAT PROMISE BROUGHT SVITLANA KHARAKTEROVA AND A TEAM OF MISSION EURASIA MEDICAL VOLUNTEERS TO THIS VILLAGE NOT FAR FROM THE FRONTLINES.
FIVE DOCTORS, A CARDIOLOGIST, UROLOGIST, FAMILY DOCTOR AND OPHTHALMOLOGIST, VOLUNTEER AROUND THE CLOCK CARING FOR FOLKS WHO HAVEN’T SEEN A SPECIALIST IN MONTHS.
SVITLANA KHARAKTEROVA, Christian Medical Association of Ukraine (female)
“We’ve been traveling to the war zone areas for some time now because these places don’t have functioning medical facilities or there isn’t one that’s easily accessible because of the ongoing conflict.”
STANDUP: GEORGE THOMAS
“ABOUT A YEAR AGO, MISSION EURASIA DECIDED THAT THE ONLY WAY TO REACH SOME OF THE HARDEST HIT REGIONS, ESPECIALLY THOSE AREAS THAT ARE IN THE CONFLICT ZONE, WAS TO USE A MOBILE CLINIC. AND SO TODAY, THEY TRAVEL EXTENSIVELY THROUGHOUT THE EAST AS WELL AS THE SOUTHERN PARTS OF UKRAINE.”
DENIS HORENKIOV, Mission Eurasia
“In the south and east of Ukraine, the medical logistics is difficult, complicated or destroyed so people cannot get to a large city with a hospital so that’s why the medical mobile clinics comes to them.”
VO: IN ADDITION TO MEDICAL OUTREACH, MISSION EURASIA PARTNERS WITH SEVERAL CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS TO TRAIN MORE THAN A THOUSAND VOLUNTEERS TO PROVIDE COUNSELING IN THESE TIMES OF WAR.
DENIS HORENKIOV, Mission Eurasia
“There are so many people who need help, not only medical help, but also psychological help so that’s why every mobile clinic outreach includes professionals who can assist with trauma care.”
VO: WHETHER IT’S DELIVERING WOOD STOVES TO FAMILIES IN AREAS WITH DAMAGED ELECTRICAL GRIDS TO PRINTING MORE THAN TWO MILLION COPIES OF THE BIBLE OR PROVIDING FOOD TO WAR VICTIMS, HORENKIOV, BONDARENKO AND THE MISSION EURASIA VOLUNTEERS HAVE A SINGULAR MISSION: REBUILD THEIR WAR-TORN NATION WHILE SHARING THE LOVE OF CHRIST.
DENIS HORENKIOV, Mission Eurasia
“What we are doing here is fulfilling Christ’s commandments and it is obvious that people see that those who help them are connected to the church, so they are more open to the Gospel, and they are more open to becoming part of a church community.”
VO: George Thomas, CBN News, Kherson, Ukraine.
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