News from the front lines of Ukraine.
Normal in Ukraine
I was a Zoom call Thursday November 6th at 7:30am MT and 4:30pm Ukraine time with pastors in a Ukrainian city. Part way through the meeting my translator glanced to his right, went silent and kept looking right. In a few moments he apologized. He had heard and then seen a Russian drone fly past his window. It was a bit disconcerting.
I asked if we should go on. One of the pastors responded, “Yes. Our area has had more recent attacks. S ome of us don’t have power. There are rolling blackouts. It’s normal. No big deal.”
I prayed and we continued.
Connecting with pastors in wartime is surreal.
Over the past weeks, the front line has continued to move, and we want to give you a brief update on what you might have missed.
Unfortunately, the news isn’t great.
Russia keeps slowly advancing. Once-liberated cities are under the threat of re-occupation. The skies are increasingly saturated with drones.
The following is an update on November 6th from the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian soldiers stand beside a vehicle covered with makeshift netting to protect it from Russian drones in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 24, 2025. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)
On the Front Line
The latest on the battle for Pokrovsk. Last week, Putin made claims that the major city of Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast was encircled — though it wasn’t. However, over the past week, the situation hasn’t improved. Most of Pokrovsk’s urban area is in a disputed gray zone as Russian troops set up positions — and according to an expert, “in reality, Pokrovsk is simply being absorbed.” 
We analyzed Russia’s infamous recent “breakthrough” after Ukraine finished clearing the Russian front-line breach in October. Francis Farrell’s article analyzes Ukraine’s hard lessons learned from Russia’s evolving tactics and breakthrough near Dobropillia.
Church under attack, pastor killed in Kupiansk, 2024
We reported from Kupiansk — a key Kharkiv Oblast city at risk of being occupied again. Francis Farrell’s article paints a picture of the fight for Kupiansk, with ambush drones, urban infiltration, and a daring Russian river crossing. You can watch the video report here. (I have been in Kupiansk two times. This is the city where a pastor was killed in April 2024 and his church destroyed by rockets. We were at his church and heard the story from his assistant.)
Reporting from the front is getting more dangerous, as the skies become increasingly saturated with drones. In the past month alone, Russian drones attacked a Ukrainian and a French journalist, killing one, and a crew of Ukrainian TV journalists, killing two. Just last week, a Russian drone also attacked a crew from a German newspaper. According to Ukraine’s Culture Ministry, 116 journalists have been killed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
A Guest in Kherson
On Nov. 5, Angelina Jolie traveled with the UK-based Legacy of War Foundation to Ukraine’s front-line Kherson and Mykolaiv regions in the south. She visited schools and hospitals that have been forced underground to continue functioning despite constant Russian attacks.
Jolie’s visit caused a stir not only in Kherson but across Ukraine, with people eager to learn more about the reasons behind her visit to one of the most dangerous parts of the country. 
Pray for:
peace in Ukraine.
Western nations to support Ukraine with military resources and money.
for divine protection on the front lines.
for pastors and leaders who have been conscripted and taken into the Army.
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