1
00:00:04,660 --> 00:00:10,619
Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church

2
00:00:10,619 --> 00:00:16,399
with a moment of truth where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and

3
00:00:16,399 --> 00:00:26,559
faith. And today, what is this strange, exotic place called Crimea? And why is it so important

4
00:00:26,559 --> 00:00:34,560
to both Russia and Ukraine in their war against one another? Those in America who advocate for

5
00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:44,740
our continued presence in and lavishing upon resources upon Ukraine, well, they cite Russia's

6
00:00:44,740 --> 00:00:53,200
seizure of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 as a primary reason for going to war with

7
00:00:53,200 --> 00:01:02,179
Russia. The present dictator of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, insists that the return of Crimea to

8
00:01:02,179 --> 00:01:09,159
Ukraine be one of the territorial conditions Russia must fulfill before there can be peace.

9
00:01:09,700 --> 00:01:18,260
Yet, its defense and retention by Russia is one of the main reasons that Russia invaded Ukraine in

10
00:01:18,260 --> 00:01:29,079
February of 2022. The silly candidate for the Democrat nomination, the Democrat ticket in 2024,

11
00:01:29,079 --> 00:01:37,780
Kamala Harris, described it as, um, a big country, that is Russia, decided to invade a smaller country

12
00:01:37,780 --> 00:01:48,219
called Ukraine. And that's wrong. Well, la-tida. I guess that settles it. We all now know all there is to

13
00:01:48,219 --> 00:01:57,659
know about the region and its reasons. Or do we? No, we must insist that the situation is far more complex

14
00:01:57,659 --> 00:02:05,680
than is being portrayed by the war hawks in the United States and the corrupt media, which is beating the

15
00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:14,180
drums of war, and the military-industrial complex that demonizes Vladimir Putin and Russia. Most Americans

16
00:02:14,180 --> 00:02:23,060
are ill-informed about both parties to this conflict, as well as the deeper, darker reasons for the United

17
00:02:23,060 --> 00:02:31,020
States participation in it. Well, let's look first at the fascinating history of the Crimean Peninsula

18
00:02:31,020 --> 00:02:39,439
and the respective claims that Russia and Ukraine make upon it. Well, the Crimean Peninsula is a

19
00:02:39,439 --> 00:02:47,439
beautiful and strategic section of land situated in the northern reaches of Asia's greatest body of

20
00:02:47,439 --> 00:02:57,319
water. The Black Sea, dozens of vacation mansions or Dakas, pepper the peninsula, where Russia's wealthy

21
00:02:57,319 --> 00:03:03,159
and privileged go to vacation and relax from the stress of imposing tyranny on the rest of their

22
00:03:03,159 --> 00:03:12,280
comrades. The climate is pleasant, the scenery is stunning, and luxuries and delicacies proliferate

23
00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:20,300
throughout the peninsula. There are rugged, beautiful mountains in the south and a broad forested plateau in

24
00:03:20,300 --> 00:03:26,860
central and northern sections of Crimea, with a flat, open plain stretching eastward towards Russia.

25
00:03:27,620 --> 00:03:34,699
Crimea is a peninsula because there is a thin strip of land, it's called the Isthmus of Perakop,

26
00:03:34,699 --> 00:03:42,840
which connects it to the north with Ukraine. And to the east, Crimea is separated from Russia by the

27
00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:51,159
narrow Strait of Kerch, which today is connected by a bridge. Crimea is not only valuable for what it is

28
00:03:51,159 --> 00:03:59,539
and has in and of itself, but because it is vital to the control of the entire Black Sea, which in turn

29
00:03:59,539 --> 00:04:08,199
determines access to the Mediterranean Sea and Russia has relied heavily upon the largest city

30
00:04:08,199 --> 00:04:16,000
in Crimea, Sevastopol, to project its Atlantic sea fleet into the Mediterranean and consequently

31
00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:23,879
into the Atlantic Ocean and also through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea and eventually into the Indian

32
00:04:23,879 --> 00:04:32,300
Ocean and eventually into the South Pacific, of course. Well, the Black Sea provides naval access as well

33
00:04:32,300 --> 00:04:41,060
to a host of countries of Europe and Asia, and that would be Romania and Bulgaria and Turkey and Georgia

34
00:04:41,060 --> 00:04:49,100
and Russia and Ukraine, for example. In every conflict in history involving these nations and her enemies,

35
00:04:49,100 --> 00:04:56,000
domination of the Black Sea meant domination of the navies in those respective countries.

36
00:04:56,519 --> 00:05:04,279
Therefore, that peninsula that juts out into the middle of this giant continental sea, Crimea,

37
00:05:04,879 --> 00:05:13,459
presents a vital base of operations. Own Crimea and you own the Black Sea. Are you beginning to see

38
00:05:13,459 --> 00:05:21,819
why Ukraine and Russia place so much emphasis on this piece of real estate? But it is worth pondering

39
00:05:21,819 --> 00:05:29,899
the historical claims to Crimea before rushing to judgment as to who is in the right planting their flag

40
00:05:29,899 --> 00:05:37,319
there. Well, for example, Russia considers Crimea to be the birthplace of Mother Russia, the primitive

41
00:05:37,319 --> 00:05:43,220
tribe from which all Russians descend, the Rus, came out of Crimea in the 9th century.

42
00:05:43,459 --> 00:05:51,779
Russia today looks on Crimea like we do Plymouth Rock, for example. It's where we came together in our

43
00:05:51,779 --> 00:06:01,379
earliest days, and we all fanned out into the greater world, right? Cape Cod, Plymouth Rock. Well, the Russian

44
00:06:01,379 --> 00:06:10,720
emperor who led the Russians into Christianity, his name was Vladimir the Great. He was baptized in

45
00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:18,240
Crimea. This is why so many Russian men are named Vladimir after Vladimir the Great. Well, Vladimir

46
00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:27,800
the Great was baptized in Crimea, and he ruled what were then known as the Kievan Rus from Crimea. And

47
00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:37,680
one author calls Crimea the beginning of everything. The beginning of everything. And Vladimir would go on

48
00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:44,879
to spread Christianity throughout his kingdom, building churches throughout Crimea, Ukraine, and Russia.

49
00:06:44,879 --> 00:06:53,600
Now, Putin gives, as a rationale for taking back Crimea in 2014, he says, and I quote,

50
00:06:53,600 --> 00:07:01,839
Crimea, ancient Kursun, Kursons, and Sevastopol, all of them bear an enormous civilizational and

51
00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:09,279
sacral meaning for Russia, just as the Temple Mount of Jerusalem does for those who profess Islam and

52
00:07:09,279 --> 00:07:18,720
Judaism, unquote. Consequently, Russia is not just a land-and-power-hungry country looking to dominate

53
00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:27,439
more and more territory. No, rather, Putin and his leaders and the people feel that they are only

54
00:07:27,439 --> 00:07:35,519
reclaiming what is and always has been land of the Russian founding. Would we surrender Cape Cod or

55
00:07:35,519 --> 00:07:43,360
Plymouth Rock to Canada? How about Bunker Hill or Boston Harbor? Or maybe we should give back the Alamo

56
00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:50,240
to Mexico, huh? Would Texas stand for that? Oh, my goodness. Many other nations, dear listener,

57
00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:57,920
many other nations and empires have contested Russia for Crimea. With what success, huh?

58
00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:06,319
For example, Vladimir the Great fought with other Rus princes for Crimea, including his own half

59
00:08:06,319 --> 00:08:11,959
brother. But he was finally victorious, and he brought the Christian faith to what would become

60
00:08:11,959 --> 00:08:19,360
Russia and Ukraine. The Russians also fought the Mongol hordes all during the Middle Ages when Crimea

61
00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:26,639
was under their control for a time. And then, all during the long period between the 15th and the 18th

62
00:08:26,639 --> 00:08:35,679
century, Russia fought against the Ottoman Empire over Crimea. The Ottomans used Crimea as a raiding base

63
00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:43,440
into Russia, where they plundered the population, and they also developed a slave trade with Crimea as

64
00:08:43,440 --> 00:08:54,159
their base. The Russians longed to recapture Crimea during this period. The indignity of having

65
00:08:54,159 --> 00:09:01,360
their birthplace as a people being used by foreigners as a slave market with them as slaves, that was

66
00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:09,440
humiliating and degrading to the Russians. One of the reasons, then, that the Russian Empress,

67
00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:18,399
Catherine is called Catherine the Great, is precisely because she defeated the Ottoman Empire in 1774,

68
00:09:18,399 --> 00:09:27,039
and she forced them to vacate Crimea. It was officially incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1783.

69
00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:35,519
And a European coalition, then, subsequently, composed mainly of England, France, and the Ottoman Empire,

70
00:09:35,519 --> 00:09:43,600
they went to war against Russia in 1854. And for several years, an intense struggle over who would

71
00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:51,919
predominate in Europe, that is, the traditional powers, or this new upstart, Russia, that struggle ensued for

72
00:09:51,919 --> 00:10:01,120
several years. And most all of the fighting occurred in the strategic peninsula of what? Of Crimea. Russia would

73
00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:09,600
eventually lose the seaport of Sevastopol in 1855. And Russia retained Crimea, but her power

74
00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:18,879
and her influence were greatly diminished. Well, Crimea also played a vital role in Russia's defense during

75
00:10:18,879 --> 00:10:27,759
World War II. The Germans, after invading Russia in Operation Barbarossa in 1941, they flooded into the

76
00:10:27,759 --> 00:10:35,840
Crimean Peninsula after suffering heavy casualties trying to get down the Isthmus of Perakulp. But Crimea

77
00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:43,759
was a prize that the Führer wanted. The Crimeans resisted valiantly such that even though the Germans

78
00:10:43,759 --> 00:10:50,639
eventually took most of the peninsula, the rugged inhabitants of the southern mountains never were

79
00:10:50,639 --> 00:10:57,120
conquered. They continued to inflict devastating losses, tying down forces that could have been

80
00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:03,919
used elsewhere, like in Stalingrad. And as the war dragged on, and the Germans eventually retreated from

81
00:11:03,919 --> 00:11:12,320
Crimea, the Allies convened the famous Yalta Conference, where it was decided how the post-war world would be

82
00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:20,399
divided up among the victors. And Yalta was a beautiful jewel resort town in southern Crimea.

83
00:11:20,399 --> 00:11:27,919
Well, that brings us to the modern period, where Crimea became a kind of fratricidal volleyball,

84
00:11:27,919 --> 00:11:36,080
being lobbed over the net back and forth between Ukraine and Russia. After the fall of the Soviet Union

85
00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:45,039
in 1991, Crimea became a semi-autonomous region, still technically under the control of Ukraine.

86
00:11:45,039 --> 00:11:54,240
And the collapse of the Soviet Union left those former member states like Poland or Romania, among others,

87
00:11:54,240 --> 00:12:01,840
in a state of turmoil, including and especially Ukraine. And as part of the Soviet Union, the Russians

88
00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:10,639
had deployed nuclear weapons throughout Ukraine. They were pointed at the West, however, but now they had

89
00:12:10,639 --> 00:12:18,639
to deal with a potential adversary with those weapons, turned back on Mother Russia, kind of like arming your

90
00:12:18,639 --> 00:12:24,879
little brother with a pistol under your direction and suddenly finding him mad at you. What's he gonna do

91
00:12:24,879 --> 00:12:35,919
with it? Are you safe? Well, to help bring order among these former Soviet subjects, the United States and Russia

92
00:12:36,399 --> 00:12:44,799
drew up what's known as the Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine would give up her nuclear weapons in

93
00:12:44,799 --> 00:12:52,159
exchange for security assurances. That is, if Ukraine were attacked, the United States would defend her.

94
00:12:52,159 --> 00:13:02,799
Well, there's one dark line, however, one dark black line, which Russia drew as unacceptable of crossing, and that was

95
00:13:02,799 --> 00:13:13,120
Ukraine's membership in NATO. That directly threatened Russia's national interests. A NATO member state, right on

96
00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:21,120
Russia's border, posed an existential threat to Russia. It would be tantamount to having maybe a Soviet

97
00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:30,639
republic formed out of Mexico, or a radical Muslim caliphate made out of Canada. And we would see that, either one of those,

98
00:13:30,639 --> 00:13:38,080
as a direct threat to our national interests, and we would never stand for it. Well, we know from documents from the

99
00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:48,480
Budapest Memorandum, that going back to James Baker under George H. W. Bush, to Brent Scowcroft and Robert Strauss under

100
00:13:48,480 --> 00:13:56,080
Bill Clinton, that assurances were made to Russia that under no circumstances would Ukraine be allowed

101
00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:04,240
into NATO. It became standing policy for every administration subsequently. Russia made it equally

102
00:14:04,240 --> 00:14:11,840
clear that they would never stand for such a policy from the West. Ah, but what the war hawks in America

103
00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:20,080
today, those who foolishly claim that we should continue the war in Ukraine, oh, what they do not

104
00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:30,559
realize is that that understanding has been repeatedly eroded over the decades. For example, George W. Bush

105
00:14:30,559 --> 00:14:40,799
issued the Bucharest Declaration in 2008, in which he promised future NATO membership to both Ukraine and Georgia.

106
00:14:40,799 --> 00:14:46,799
Russia. Oh, that's a gross violation of that understanding, isn't it? But that was like an

107
00:14:46,799 --> 00:14:53,120
electric cattle prod to Russia, and they immediately took steps to shore up military defenses on those

108
00:14:53,120 --> 00:15:00,799
respective borders. And the Obama administration? Oh, that foolish administration constantly tinkered with

109
00:15:00,799 --> 00:15:08,000
Ukraine. They attempted to influence her policies towards the West and against Russia. For example,

110
00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:18,799
Ukraine elected a pro-Russian president in 2014, a popular election, and they elected Viktor Yanukovych.

111
00:15:19,279 --> 00:15:27,519
And he began developing closer ties with Russia and integration into Eurasian Economic Union rather than

112
00:15:27,519 --> 00:15:36,000
the EU. And instead of allowing this to progress along normal democratic lines, American politicians like

113
00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:46,960
John McCain or Chris Murphy, and as well, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Newland, they all actively lobbied for a

114
00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:58,159
revolution, which eventually ousted Yakunovych in favor of Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who was pro-EU. And he was also pro-NATO.

115
00:15:58,159 --> 00:16:09,440
Yeah. Well, so egregious was the meddling and the violation of previous commitments that Putin invaded the

116
00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:21,840
Crimean Peninsula in February of 2014. In consequence of this meddling, a referendum was held in Crimea in March of 2014,

117
00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:31,440
where 97% of the population voted to join the Russian Federation, and Crimea declared its independence from Ukraine.

118
00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:40,960
This was all decided by Crimeans themselves. They weren't under pressure from Putin and the Russians to do these things.

119
00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:52,159
So can you see why Russia in general, and Vladimir Putin in particular, has responded, as he has, and as Russia has?

120
00:16:52,720 --> 00:17:01,840
An argument can be made, and I would make this argument, that rather than being a power-hungry dictator lusting after territory to conquer,

121
00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:14,319
instead, Putin has shown restraint against the Allies over aggressive actions on his border by them, by us, by the United States, for that matter,

122
00:17:14,319 --> 00:17:27,599
which threaten the sovereignty and integrity of Russia itself. We have done things to Russia in Ukraine that we would never stand for if Russia had done them on the border with Mexico or Canada.

123
00:17:27,599 --> 00:17:39,720
As we have seen in detail, Crimea is not, Crimea, excuse me, I'm sorry for mispronouncing Crimea several times now.

124
00:17:40,259 --> 00:17:50,880
And as we have seen in detail, Crimea is not some disconnected, unrelated bauble that Putin has no business trying to seize.

125
00:17:50,880 --> 00:18:01,400
No, rather, Crimea has millennia-old organic bonds with Russia. In many ways, Crimean history is Russian history.

126
00:18:01,819 --> 00:18:13,099
And the population of Crimea also consistently votes for closer bonds with Russia rather than Ukraine, when given the fair chance to do so, that is.

127
00:18:13,099 --> 00:18:24,839
And it was clear that the Russian annexation of Crimea met no resistance either. In fact, it was welcomed by most of the inhabitants.

128
00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:35,799
So many of the inhabitants of Crimea derive from Russian stock. They're proud of it, and indeed, they affirm it time and time again.

129
00:18:35,799 --> 00:18:49,440
And Putin also sees Crimea as a strategic military objective. When Russia holds Crimea, especially the naval base at Sevastopol, Russia is secure.

130
00:18:49,619 --> 00:19:02,740
When other powers hold Crimea, Russian security is in jeopardy. In fact, history has abundantly proven that point, hasn't it, over time, as we have seen in our brief review of Crimea's history.

131
00:19:02,740 --> 00:19:25,740
In addition, most Americans are still hypnotized by the government and media propaganda that simplistically makes out as if Ukraine good, Russia bad, as if Ukraine is some kind of Jeffersonian democracy, while Putin is Hitler and Russia filled with Nazis.

132
00:19:25,740 --> 00:19:34,220
Do you remember when some in Congress called Zelensky the George Washington of Ukraine, when the war first broke out?

133
00:19:34,460 --> 00:19:41,680
How has that worked out, huh? In fact, Zelensky suspended elections and has been ruling as Ukrainian dictator for years now.

134
00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:47,720
And he regularly throws his political opponents in prison and suppresses media criticism.

135
00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:56,380
Also, it is a mark of ironic stupidity to label Putin as Hitler and Russians as Nazis.

136
00:19:56,700 --> 00:19:59,839
In fact, the situation is quite the opposite.

137
00:20:00,359 --> 00:20:10,140
For example, when Hitler invaded Ukraine in 1941 in Operation Barbarossa, the Nazis were welcomed as liberators in Ukraine.

138
00:20:10,140 --> 00:20:19,539
Joseph Stalin had spent the last decade destroying the liberties and way of life of Ukraine in trying to create a Marxist state.

139
00:20:19,980 --> 00:20:29,140
Before Stalin, Ukraine was composed of independent farmers who owned their own land and they marketed their crops for their own profit.

140
00:20:29,819 --> 00:20:34,220
This vast middle class in Ukraine were called kulaks.

141
00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:38,680
They were the backbone of Ukraine, and they had existed for generations.

142
00:20:39,660 --> 00:20:47,019
Stalin and the Marxists sent in troops to force these independent farmers into collective farms.

143
00:20:47,759 --> 00:20:51,039
Individual property was seized and abolished.

144
00:20:51,579 --> 00:20:56,279
Farmers' markets disappeared and individual bartering and selling became illegal.

145
00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:01,740
Harvests were seized by the government and redistributed all over the Soviet Union.

146
00:21:01,740 --> 00:21:05,920
Ukraine herself experienced widespread famines.

147
00:21:06,660 --> 00:21:13,900
A formerly prosperous, independent people were turned into Marxist slaves on their own land.

148
00:21:14,180 --> 00:21:20,579
Millions of Ukrainians perished in Stalin's wrenching dislocation of their way of life.

149
00:21:21,059 --> 00:21:28,339
A fierce hatred and resentment towards Russia and Marxism festered like an infected boil.

150
00:21:28,339 --> 00:21:36,380
And consequently, when the Nazis invaded in 1941, they were seen as liberators from the hated communists.

151
00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:43,099
It's one reason that Hitler saw such stunning success in the early days of Operation Barbarossa.

152
00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:50,359
They were welcomed all along the way with food, flowers, and favors by the Ukrainians themselves.

153
00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:57,380
Well, the Ukrainians thus became ardent Nazis during this period.

154
00:21:58,059 --> 00:22:03,339
And that loyalty and partisanship never went away, dear listener.

155
00:22:03,819 --> 00:22:09,519
In fact, it is alive and well in groups like the Azov battalions.

156
00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:12,420
One example, the Azov battalions.

157
00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:13,960
Look these guys up.

158
00:22:13,960 --> 00:22:19,640
They're a fellowship of Nazi military units all through Ukraine.

159
00:22:19,859 --> 00:22:23,900
And they fight not only the Russians, but anyone who opposes the war.

160
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,059
Thus, we see the irony.

161
00:22:26,539 --> 00:22:29,299
It is Ukraine that is Nazi, not Russia.

162
00:22:29,720 --> 00:22:33,500
It is Zelensky who is Hitler, not Putin.

163
00:22:33,500 --> 00:22:44,680
And we must acknowledge, as well, the extreme provocation of Russia by Ukraine prior to Russia's invasion in February of 2022.

164
00:22:45,319 --> 00:22:55,119
The Cato Institute details a number of reasons for Russia's invasion, four of them in particular.

165
00:22:55,119 --> 00:23:06,640
Number one, since the days of the Clinton administration, the West has consistently violated its commitment to hold the expansion of NATO towards Russia, including Ukraine.

166
00:23:07,180 --> 00:23:12,299
Number two, NATO's military intervention in the Balkans in the 90s under Clinton.

167
00:23:12,460 --> 00:23:13,539
You may remember that.

168
00:23:13,819 --> 00:23:17,779
Or NATO's expansion, number three, to Russia's very border.

169
00:23:18,039 --> 00:23:24,099
Yes, membership was granted to the Warsaw Pact members and the three Baltic republics.

170
00:23:24,099 --> 00:23:28,940
And then finally, we have treated Russia as an outright enemy.

171
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,079
Number four, an outright enemy in Ukraine and elsewhere.

172
00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:41,180
It is the United States that amassed the Ukrainian forces on the border with Russia prior to Russia's invasion.

173
00:23:41,180 --> 00:23:42,279
It was provocative.

174
00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:51,460
It is Ukrainian forces that rained artillery into Russia and sent forays of troops into Russian territory before the invasion.

175
00:23:51,640 --> 00:23:52,960
It was very provocative.

176
00:23:52,960 --> 00:24:00,259
It is the United States that flooded Ukraine with advisers, quote-unquote, before Russia came in.

177
00:24:00,759 --> 00:24:05,819
Advisors that looked and acted a lot like special forces and Navy SEALs.

178
00:24:05,819 --> 00:24:09,680
It is Ukraine that sent in U.S.

179
00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:15,380
Fighters into Russian airspace before the invasion, threatening the cities and forces of Russia.

180
00:24:15,779 --> 00:24:24,019
So, of course, we heard nothing about this prior to Putin's sending in his forces in February of 2022.

181
00:24:24,559 --> 00:24:28,640
And most Americans are still ignorant of these salient facts.

182
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:34,240
Instead, it's the big bully Russia who invaded poor, vulnerable Ukraine.

183
00:24:34,440 --> 00:24:38,099
Oh, it's the Hitler, Vladimir Putin, who's the aggressor.

184
00:24:38,420 --> 00:24:42,539
Ukraine is just an innocent democracy that wants to be left alone.

185
00:24:43,039 --> 00:24:44,400
Ah, balderdash.

186
00:24:44,740 --> 00:24:50,079
Furthermore, it is Zelensky in Ukraine that is persecuting the church, too.

187
00:24:50,079 --> 00:25:02,680
The Russian Orthodox Church in particular, Christian persecution in Ukraine, arrests of priests, closers of churches, persecution of believers has commenced unabated since the war's beginning.

188
00:25:03,180 --> 00:25:10,720
One of the reasons Putin went into Crimea, for example, was to protect Orthodox Christians who were being persecuted there.

189
00:25:10,720 --> 00:25:16,859
So, dear listener, things are not always as they seem, are they, as we have seen.

190
00:25:17,039 --> 00:25:21,259
The enemy is not always the one pointed to by our government.

191
00:25:21,460 --> 00:25:25,980
I have been on this time and time again, pointing you to this fact.

192
00:25:26,140 --> 00:25:29,319
The enemy is not always the one pointed to by our government.

193
00:25:29,539 --> 00:25:37,660
No, there is perfect logicality to see our government as the enemy in Ukraine.

194
00:25:37,660 --> 00:25:50,539
It's especially true in this wicked, bloody war being waged in Ukraine, being waged and being bloody largely because of our participation in it.

195
00:25:50,740 --> 00:25:53,279
It's time for this war to come to an end.

196
00:25:53,920 --> 00:26:01,400
President Trump is doing the right thing in trying to end this war, bringing it to a conclusion swiftly.

197
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:11,480
We must pray that God will be with him as he does this and that we'll see this bloody, unnecessary war come to an end very soon.

198
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:19,859
New Geneva meets for holy worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard.

199
00:26:20,240 --> 00:26:21,940
We encourage you to come and join us.

200
00:26:22,859 --> 00:26:24,220
Participate with us in worship.

201
00:26:24,380 --> 00:26:29,279
You'll find a warm welcome and an opportunity to worship in spirit and in truth.

202
00:26:29,279 --> 00:26:37,799
And you can also call us then for more information about New Geneva or some comments perhaps on this broadcast.

203
00:26:38,019 --> 00:26:43,980
You can give us a call at 208-523-0196.

204
00:26:44,140 --> 00:26:49,700
That's area code 208-523-0196.