And they take a big risk with their opinion
https://www.europeanea.org/ministers-of-evangelical-churches-in-russia-appeal-to-their-compatriots/
Vytaly Vlasenko is the General Secretary of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, a federation of many evangelical churches. On March 15, he addressed the world public in an open letter. A similar letter bears the signatures of nine evangelical church leaders. Here is the German translation of his text:
To my dear brothers and sisters around the world:
As Secretary General of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, I mourn for all that my country has done through its recent military invasion of another sovereign country, namely Ukraine.
For me and for many other Christians, the military invasion came as a great shock. Even under the worst assumptions, I could not have imagined what we are now observing in the Ukraine. Two peoples who are closely related to each other and are also largely linked to the Christian faith (mainly the Orthodox) are now fighting a bitter battle. A site aiming to demilitarize Ukraine. The other wants to save the country from occupation.
Many Russians and Ukrainians have close family ties in the other country. A Russian may have daughters and grandchildren in Kyiv; while a Ukrainian may have children living and working in Moscow. Today our hearts are pierced with pain, fear and sorrow. We are concerned for our loved ones and for our own future because (for the first time) since WWII we are now in a situation where no one could predict the unfolding and consequences of the current war.
Today soldiers are dying on both sides. The peace is destroyed by the bombs and grenades. And a growing stream of refugees is pouring across Europe: women, old people and children.
All of these events cause me sorrow, bitterness and the deepest regret at the decisions made by my country’s leadership. And I feel the deepest sympathy for the suffering that these decisions have caused.
I did everything I could to prevent this war and stop this military invasion: In my capacity as Secretary General of the Russian Evangelical Alliance, I wrote an open letter to President Vladimir Putin the day before the invasion. In this letter I supported the request of some religious leaders from Ukraine for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
We fasted and prayed for peace and harmony between Russia and Ukraine. Our alliance has engaged in public prayers with Russians, Ukrainians and other European leaders in an effort to bring about reconciliation. As the Russian Evangelical Alliance, we have supported over 500 refugees from Ukraine in southern Russia. And we discussed the political and military aspects of the conflict at the “round table” and at a subsequent international conference.
Today I ask apologies (forgiveness) to all who have lost loved ones or their homes because of the conflict. I say this as a citizen of my country and as Secretary General of the Russian Alliance.
It is my prayer that you will receive the strength you need from God and that we will join hands in solidarity and forgiveness. We want to understand ourselves as the people of God in this world and live accordingly.
May our heavenly Father help us. With the utmost respect, your brother in the Lord
Vitaly Vlasenko
