A Call to Prayer for the Captive Defenders of Ukraine

The Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany of Kyiv and All Ukraine, responding to the appeal of the Azov Corps Command, has called upon the hierarchs, clergy, monastics, and faithful of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to offer special prayers on Sunday, May 17, 2026, for the release of the imprisoned defenders of Ukraine.

This sacred appeal comes during a time of deep sorrow and national suffering, as countless Ukrainian soldiers remain in captivity, enduring harsh trials, uncertainty, isolation, and deprivation far from their homes and loved ones. Many of these defenders stood courageously in the face of violence and destruction, offering themselves for the protection of their homeland, their families, and their people. Now, in captivity, they carry another cross, the painful burden of imprisonment.

The Church, as a loving mother, cannot remain silent before such suffering.

His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphany has therefore called upon every cathedral, parish, monastery, chapel, and Orthodox household throughout Ukraine to lift up fervent prayers for the prisoners of war — asking the Lord to preserve their lives and health, strengthen them in spirit, protect them from despair, comfort them in affliction, and grant them a swift and safe return home.

For Orthodox Christians, prayer is never merely symbolic. Prayer is an offering of love before the throne of God. It is the cry of the heart. It is the invisible bond that unites the suffering with the faithful, the imprisoned with the free, and the wounded with the mercy of Christ.

Throughout the history of the Church, the faithful have always turned to prayer during times of war, persecution, and captivity. The Holy Scriptures themselves are filled with prayers for deliverance from bondage. The Apostle Peter was freed from prison through the fervent prayers of the Church. The Psalms cry out repeatedly for God to hear the voice of those in distress. And countless martyrs, confessors, and captives throughout Christian history endured chains and suffering while strengthened inwardly by faith and the prayers of the faithful.

Today, these imprisoned defenders of Ukraine stand in need of that same spiritual solidarity.

It was also announced that at 12:00 noon, in the square before the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a prayer gathering organized by the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations will be held for the captive defenders of Ukraine. Clergy and faithful from different religious communities will gather together in prayer, bearing witness to a shared desire for mercy, peace, justice, and the preservation of human life.

Such moments remind us that suffering has the power to unite hearts beyond political and social divisions. Before God, every tear matters. Every imprisoned soul matters. Every mother waiting for her son, every wife praying for her husband, every child longing to see their father return home — all of these cries ascend before the Lord.

As Orthodox Christians, we must never allow ourselves to grow cold or indifferent to the pain of others. The chains borne by these captives are wounds carried by the whole nation. Their suffering becomes a call to deeper compassion, deeper prayer, and deeper repentance.

In a world often consumed by hatred, violence, and vengeance, the Church continues to proclaim the path of Christ: the path of mercy, endurance, prayer, and hope. Even in the darkest moments, we believe that God has not abandoned His people. Christ Himself entered into suffering, endured injustice, was bound, mocked, and crucified, and through His Resurrection, He transformed suffering and death into the path toward life.

May the Lord therefore strengthen every captive defender of Ukraine. May He preserve them from physical and spiritual harm. May He grant courage to those who feel despair, hope to those who feel forgotten, and comfort to every grieving family awaiting the return of their loved ones.

And may He soften hardened hearts, bring an end to violence and hatred, and grant peace to the suffering land of Ukraine.

Let us cry out together with one heart:

Lord Jesus Christ, preserve Thy suffering servants and grant them freedom, peace, strength, and salvation. Bring every captive home in safety, and shelter them beneath Thy mercy and love. Amen.
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