Central Kyiv, just before 8 am yesterday. It was supposed to be the beginning of the morning rush hour in this once bustling city of almost three million people. Still, the streets were empty and eerily calm.
This was due in part to the deadly effect of the constant snowfall. Rather, it was an expression of a growing sense of fear; the fear of an impending attack by a military hippopotamus lurking just a few miles north of the city limits and ready to strike his heart.
Those Kyivites who have not yet fled have been warned to take shelter at home.
Ukraine is on the brink. At the moment, Russian bombs and missiles are falling the most Kharkiv, Kherson and Mariupol. But here, the capital, the fate of this people will be decided.
The questions are how and when. For many, this is a time for prayer.
The Byzantine Cathedral of St. Sophia has stood by the Dnieper River for more than 1,000 years – often a turbulent millennium. With its golden domes, fabulous mosaics and frescoes, the cathedral is the most iconic and beloved structure in Ukraine.
A unifying point and inspiration when danger threatens the common good. It was like that again this morning. I was one of a handful of observers who were allowed to witness a powerful and exciting expression of faith.
The Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky is pictured to be blessed at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
As warning sirens sounded, Ukraine’s religious leaders gathered in private in the heart of the great church to show solidarity and pray for the liberation of their country in times of need.
Among them were the highest Orthodox clergy, the heads of the Greek and Roman Catholic religions, the Protestant denominations, the Jewish community and the Mufti of Ukraine, the country’s top Muslim.
In two lines, face to face along the branch of St. Sophia, the holy men took turns reciting prayers for peace and for Ukraine.
Among those present were several senior figures in the Ukrainian government. Interior Minister Denis Monastirski is a marked man as far as the Kremlin is concerned, and he came to church wearing a bulletproof vest, accompanied by a bodyguard carrying a machine gun.
An unusual vignette followed, in which Bishop Vitaly Krivitsky, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr, stepped forward and placed his right hand on the chest of Mr. Monastyrsky’s bulletproof vest.
Closed his eyes, the prelate began to pray for him, in the manner of a medieval warrior’s blessing before battle.
“All church and religious leaders understand that our strength is not only in weapons and military forces,” the bishop told me afterwards.
“We are all believers here. We know that the last word is of God. We know that we are called to support our nation at this crucial time. We can’t be anywhere else.
Ukrainian civilians at Kyiv’s central railway station flee the onslaught of invading Russian military
Standing next to the bishop, Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, Mufti of Ukraine, added: “What you see here is so important. Would you see a similar brotherhood between different religions in any other country?
In recent years, there has been a split in the Orthodox Church between the Moscow Patriarchate – considered close to Putin – and the newly independent Ukrainian branch.
But on Tuesday, more than 150 Russian Orthodox clerics named their names in an open letter calling for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine.
The clergy were quoted as saying that they “respect the freedom of each person, given to him or her by God”, adding that the people of Ukraine must make their own choices, not with machine guns and without pressure from any of them. West or East.
Alexei Dneprov, deputy head of President Vladimir Zelensky’s cabinet, also attended the Hagia Sophia yesterday.
“It’s a very strange time, very difficult, but I’m sure we will win,” he said. “We have the support of the whole world. This is very important for us, because we are facing this huge threat to our existence.
He said about the church: “St. Sophia is not just a cathedral, it is the most important building in the culture of our country. When Hagia Sophia is here, Ukraine exists.
He continued: “We are fighting and we are strong. Every hour I receive messages of support from all over the world. This is a terrible situation, but we will prevail.
These are annoying times, but surely, I thought, the Russians will not hit St. Sophia?
View of smoke from inside a damaged gym after the shelling in Kyiv
Ukrainian authorities are not so sure. They sent a letter to UNESCO, requesting the body that compiles the list of World Heritage Sites – St. Sofia is one of them – to speak now to save the cathedral from the threat of destruction.
The Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Alexander Tkachenko, warned on social media that “the Russians will destroy Hagia Sophia … they seek to destroy all Ukrainian history, trying to appropriate it for themselves.”
I spoke with his colleague, Mr Monastirski, as he was leaving the church. “You are facing a serious threat,” I told the interior minister. “We are ready,” he replied in English. And he set out, back in the existential struggle for the future of his country.
Last night a powerful explosion shook the center of Kyiv. The interior ministry said a Russian missile strike near the main railway station had destroyed a major heat pipeline and could leave parts of the city without heat.
As nighttime temperatures hover around zero, Kyiv residents face more difficult hours before dawn.