• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Contact Us
Leading To Life

Leading To Life

Helping you build a better life through better choices.


An Initiative of Church of God, the Father’s Call

Russia, Crimea, & Ukraine

June 30, 2024

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

When we live in peace and safety with time to dwell on our actions and how we live, ironically, this peace can be a source of danger if it decreases our alertness. For this reason, we are admonished to be watchful: “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming,” (Matthew 24:42 ESV).

In February and March 2014, the world was watching as Russia began to invade the region of Crimea, previously connected to Ukraine. This historic case study enlightens us to how fragile our world is and how quickly a conflict can emerge, triggering events in surrounding nations.

Ukraine sits in the Eurasian Steppe, a land rich with arable soil and mineral resources. Nearby Crimea is a peninsula jutting into the Black Sea and has similar resources. In addition, control of the Crimea allows access to the Black Sea and Bosporus Straight, leading to the Mediterranean Sea, a commercially and militarily strategic location.

The nation we know now as Ukraine, has a complex, overlapping history. Its heyday was under the Kievan Rus in the 9th through 13th centuries, then the Mongols destroyed much of that empire and the seat of power for the Rus moved from Kiev to Moscow. After the Mongols, Ukraine was carved up by various European powers until it fell, at last, to Russia under Catherine the Great in the late 1700’s.

The Crimea was controlled by Greeks, then Romans, and destabilized by the fall of Rome, riddled with tribal divisions. Attacked by Mongols, it became a home for Turkic tribes who conducted an active and brutal slave trade enriching the Ottoman Empire to the southeast and carrying many ethnic Ukrainians and Russians into slavery. The Russians conquered these same Turkic minorities occupying the Crimea, and you can see where the historical tension originates.

The Russian-Turkish conflict flared in 1783 and continued for 400 years. During the Crimean War (1853-1856) the Russians sought a warm water port for their navy in the Black Sea, and almost every major European power became involved in this conflict, setting up disastrous alliances that would eventually lead to the First World War. In World War II, Ukrainians under the USSR welcomed the Nazi invaders until they were enslaved by them, but turning back to the Russian side they were further oppressed by Stalin, sent to Siberia, or massacred in the millions, among them many Jews.

Inexplicably, in 1954 the Crimea was added to Ukrainian territory by the USSR. In 1989 Ukraine and Crimea declared independence from Russia as the USSR dissolved. And that brings us to today. Crimea is now an annexed country of Russia and remains a valuable target with land, natural resources, and strategic ports. Russia’s ambitions in the region have already drawn in surrounding Asian, Middle Eastern, and European nations, and the United States.

And Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine continues to bring enormous death and destruction to the Ukrainian people and their nation. It reminds us that those conflicts, like the events preceding the return of Christ, can build up rapidly and from seemingly out of nowhere: “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places,” (Matthew 24:6-7).

When we see these hot spots in the news, we should feel a sense of urgency, but not panic. Be alert, watchful, knowing the world is a fragile place, but that we are still blessed with peace. We need to take advantage of that opportunity and not let it slip through our fingers.

Studying history has additional value for us because it gives us perspective and empathy. We can understand why people do the things they do because we learn where they came from and how they react. This ability to empathize is going to be crucial in our role in God’s Kingdom. We all experience pain, joy, suffering, betrayal, depression, and love. Christ experienced all of that, too, and He responded to it perfectly. That should give us hope, and inspire faithfulness because if He can overcome, having been a human like we are today, then we can do it, too.

We need to renew our minds and bodies for the work ahead of us. Remaining watchful and alert both in our personal lives, but also as we relate and live in the world around us. Stay aware. This mindset provides us with a much-needed sense of urgency and commitment to our Father and His way of life.

Ryan Andrews

Filed Under: Kingdom of God Tagged With: Alert, Crimea, History, Peace, Russia, Russian-Turkish Conflict, Ukraine

Primary Sidebar

Search

More results...

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

10 Most Recent Posts

  • The Last Great Day, Rivers of Living Waters
  • The Nature of Christ
  • Misrepresenting God Distances Us from Him
  • Is God Truly Unknowable?  
  • Salvation: Who’s In and Who’s Out
  • The Passover Effect
  • Measurements of Spiritual Growth
  • The Great Deception: Satan Masquerades as an Angel of Light
  • The Son Makes Us Free
  • Confidence, Esteem and Self-Image

Trending – Top 20 – Last 30 Days

  • Gnosticism: Why John Wrote 1 John
  • Ideological Subversion
  • The Truth Will Set You Free?
  • The Garden of Eden Prototype
  • Equality, Equity, and Justice
  • The Purpose of Righteousness
  • 8 Hindrances of Unity
  • Lessons of the Days of Unleavened Bread
  • The 3 D’s of Satan’s Toolbox
  • Time of Christ’s Death and Resurrection
  • Salvation: Who’s In and Who’s Out
  • Misrepresenting God Distances Us from Him
  • Why Not Steal?
  • Pride vs Humility
  • The Collapse of Justice
  • Three Levels of Listening
  • Confidence, Esteem and Self-Image
  • Let the Oppressed Go Free
  • The Great Deception: Satan Masquerades as an Angel of Light
  • The Precipice

Search by Category

Iks Menu
No data found

Copyright © 2025 · LeadingToLife.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
We do not sell or distribute any information.
Accept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT