To supporters of Ukraine Missions…
One of last Thursday morning’s headlines read: “At least 17 people were killed, officials said, as the country runs desperately low on interceptor missiles that could fend off Russian bombardments.”
Thursday 20 August 2026…A burdened morning…After getting into the office this morning, I received a call from Mykola. He and I have worked together in Ukraine for years. When Russia first invaded in 2014, we worked to get the orphan homes in Donetsk and Luhansk evacuated because Russia was taking the orphans into Russia. We evacuated busloads to the west. After the full-scale invasion (2022), our efforts doubled as more needed to be evacuated from Kherson, Melitopol, Zaporozhe, and many other locations. At one point, we housed over 800 IDP children in the Lviv Region in a summer camp facility during the winter of 2023. Many of our containers have gone to these children, supplying them with food, clothing, shoes, hygiene items, coats, etc.
A number of these children are living in private “homes with many children.” If you have read my reports, you recall some of these kind-hearted families.
The heartbreaking news received early Thursday morning informed me that the Russian heavy bombardment (19 Aug) killed at least 17 people in Kyiv. It was a gut-punch to discover two of these killed were “our children”! The Russians attacked a children’s hospital, apartment buildings, and other civilian targets.
At this point, we are hurriedly grouping the children and will transport them to safer locations. This effort requires money, and because of faithful donors, I was able to wire a small amount to Mykola to help with some of these expenses.
THANK YOU for your financial support. Be fervent in prayer always, but be especially fervent for our frenzied efforts to relocate many, many children to safety!
I received this note from a good brother in VA:
“You probably heard that during the daytime yesterday, Zhytomyr was also attacked, including a police station with a park nearby. Two officers were killed, and 20 people were wounded. Thankfully, all of those we know were spared, but they were badly shaken. The station is right in the center of the city. Someday this will end. I pray it will be soon. God bless, Tommy”
Some Cleared Briefing Notes
I receive requests for updates on how things are going. Most should not (cannot) be posted. But here are edited briefs on developments from the last three weeks. These are produced for publication after a period of time has lapsed, so the specifics will not betray data. Some have sarcasm:
“Over 745 sq kms of “Russian territory” was quietly returned to Ukraine while the “midget tsar” was busy polishing his nuclear threats. An interview, released on 17th August 2026 by a military analyst, features interviews with two team leaders. Both described Russian soldiers hiding in cellars “like rats,” waiting for a front line that never arrives. One village, allegedly cleared, turned out to contain around 20 Russian troops who had been playing the world’s least enjoyable game of hide-and-seek for a full week.
Booby traps in the villages are the norm. “Russian forces love a good grenade on a string, though thankfully Soviet era fuses are about as subtle as a foghorn. You can hear the fuse pop before it blows up,” they explained, giving new meaning to the phrase “early warning system.”
“The medical evacuation is grim. One soldier, shot in the leg and arm, walked back over 20 kms using a stick as a cane. The entire team, all wounded, made the journey over two days. “Someone has to go in and clear it out,” confirming that boots on the ground still matter.
“Russia explains why it killed a 3-month-old baby. It shows the callous way Russian leaders view life, including the life of a baby. It happened on Saturday morning, Aug. 15. Russia launched another drone attack on a residential building. The strike killed a three-month-old boy while injuring 11 people. Russian leaders were asked to comment about hitting the apartment complex and killing a baby. They stated that “the drones were intended to hit a military base on the other side of Ukraine. The guidance systems were defective. It is the fault of the West. Because of sanctions, Russia cannot get decent guidance systems.” And it was Zakharova who called the West “terrorists.”
And so here we are…
It began in 2014, and it continues. You will hear, read, and see propaganda from all sides (including the EU, the USA, and other nations). Most of what you see and read is political posturing. And while the politicians continue their posturing, innocents die, lives are ruined, and Satan dances in delight!
We can do nothing to stop the devilish ruin BUT we can reach those who are suffering. At times it seems we are “sweeping back the ocean waves,” but we “sow with a view to righteousness and we will harvest in accordance with kindness” (Hosea 10:12).
Through your efforts, we have established an amazing network that positions us to serve the Lord God while this terror continues and after it has ceased! We are respected for our efforts. We are assured that we are not on “the list” of those who “helped” and used photos and social media posts to enhance themselves, solicit money, and while disrespecting the protocols of martial law during the war.
And so, we continue…
John L. Kachelman, Jr., UKRAINE MISSIONS, Dalraida Church of Christ, P.O. Boc 3085, Montgomery, AL 36109.
