The Head of the UGCC in Week 219 of the War: Russia Continues to Exploit Nuclear Energy as a Means to Blackmail the International Community
Forty years ago, the Soviet system caused the Chernobyl disaster, and today the Russian military regime is attempting to create similar threats to humanity once again. This was stated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, in a video address marking the 219th week of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
Looking back on the past week, the Primate noted: “This week has once again been marked by nightly Russian attacks on our cities and villages. Heavy fighting continues along the front lines. Military officials report that, as weather conditions have changed, Russian attacks have only intensified.”
However, in his view, amid this pain and suffering, the Ukrainian people are once again demonstrating the remarkable courage.
This week we also commemorate the greatest man-made disaster in modern history—the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy.
“It was not merely human failure—this tragedy was born of the Soviet system. As we remember these tragic pages of history, we unfortunately see that Russia continues to exploit nuclear energy as a means to blackmail the international community. It was in Ukraine that Russia first resorted to the military seizure of such facilities—back in 2014 in Crimea, in Sevastopol. It was from the Chernobyl zone that the full-scale attack of 2022 began. And the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant became the culmination of this unprecedented threat,” noted His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Another major international event took place this week—the International Security Forum was held once again in Kyiv. This is a public initiative that has been organized annually by Ukrainian civil society since 2007.
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Video Message of the Head of the UGCC on the 219th Week of the Full-Scale War, April 26, 2026
According to the spiritual leader, it was important to witness how, amid the collapse of the old security architecture established after World War II, new foundations for a shared and secure home are emerging.
“And here, Ukraine is not only a country I need of protection but can also become a place where a new security model for Europe and the world takes shape. It is particularly valuable that the voice of the Church mattered to intellectuals, public figures, and government officials from various countries. At a time when xenophobia, and in some places even Ukrainophobia, is growing, there is still a light of hope even in these circumstances. And that prophetic voice speaking today to the powerful of this world is the voice of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, who once again declared to the whole world that our God, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Prince of Peace, that He opposes wars in the modern world, and that it is absolutely unacceptable to use God’s name to justify war in the modern world,” emphasized His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
