Death came suddenly from a clear blue sky, as it often does now in Ukraine. Svitlana and Kristina will never see 22.
Kristina and Svitlana
In August, a Russian rocket slammed to earth killing two young women as they sat on a bench in a playground, in the shadow of a church.
Their names were Kristina Spitsyna and Svitlana Siemieikina, and they are among the more than 10,000 civilians who have lost their lives since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Orla Guerin, with BBC News, writes that Kristina and Svitlana came together in wartime, bonding over a love of music and a love of Ukraine. They formed a duo called Similar Girls. They sang at weddings, and live-streamed street concerts to their Telegram channel, raising money for soldiers and civilians alike.
Zaporizhzhia
On 9 August they were singing outside a supermarket on a busy street in their hometown of Zaporizhzhia – Svitlana, 18, on guitar, and Kristina, 21, on vocals.
Twenty minutes later they were dead, victims of a Russian rocket attack.
I was in Zaporizhzhia in December to speak in a church. Just before we arrived, two rockets were shot down not far from the church. As the service started with 100s packed into an auditorium, the pastor asked us all to turn off our cell phones so that the Russians would not be able to “ping” and target the large gathering.
While in Ukraine, I saw and heard Svitlana and Kristina in the faces and voices of many young adults who led worship in church services. They sing with hope. Worship is their act of defiance. It is their way to stand up to evil.
Evil will not win. Good will win. God is good. God will win.
Read Orla’s full story here.
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