Russell Rhodes Blog

And the war continues.

It’s Monday morning. The Monday after Easter. A nice, restful weekend. It was not the same for the poor people of Ukraine. I’m starting to really worry that this is going to continue until Ukraine cannot survive.

The news is not good. Fox News reports smoke fills the skies near Lviv. This is near the Polish border. Five missiles slammed into rail and military facilities. At least six are dead and eight injured.

Here’s the thing… Lviv has been considered fairly safe for Ukrainians trying to flee the war in the east. The Washington Post reports that these are the first wartime deaths in the city.

Russian forces continue their attack Mariupol. It’s almost leveled now. Russia is said to be on the verge of capturing the city. Ukraine’s Prime Minister says their forces “will fight until the end.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says, “the situation in Mariupol remains as severe as possible. Just inhuman.”

The U.S. has committed $14 billion in aid to Ukraine. National security analyst Rebecca Grant tells Fox News that the country is going to need a lot more.

Prince Harry and Meghan praised Ukraine at the Invictus Games. That’s the event he founded for wounded veterans and active service members around the world.

Team Ukraine had said it would not participate in this year’s Invictus Games. Many of its members are fighting in the war.

At the last minute, the team came to the games. Of that, Prince Harry said, “Your bravery in choosing to come and for being here cannot be overstated.”

Harry also said the team came “to be on this global stage not simply to show your strength, but to tell your truth—the truth of what is happening in your country.”

Invictus, by the way, comes from the Latin phrase for “undefeated.”

I hope Ukraine remains “undefeated.” It is going to take a lot. A lot from the Ukrainians. A lot from the rest of the world.

Meghan spoke too at the Invictus Games. She said we are all standing with the Ukrainian team. She also said, “Slava Ukraini!” Translated: Glory to Ukraine!