Ukraine is waging war on its own soil; Kiev has a daily 2:30 pm announcement of the communiqué from the front. The Minsk Agreement between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces is floundering. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch report civilians being held in prisons that authorities say don't exist, and there are ongoing killings. Meanwhile from 6 to 9 October the second World Congress of Christians of Evangelical Faith was held in Lviv with 2,200 delegates from 16 countries, with the theme ‘Pentecost - the answer to the challenges of our time’. A Ukrainian bishop said, ‘We gathered from different countries to pray in unity and reflect on challenges. As Christians, it is important to understand the time in which we live.’ His Russian counterpart replied, ‘No matter what happens, we will pray for you and empathise with you. I am honoured to serve God with you. We love you!’

Amnesty International reported 60,000 refugees stranded in Greece due to EU countries not implementing their agreed migrant quotas. Empty promises leave refugees in appalling conditions. Huge numbers have severe health problems, suffer acute stress, anxiety and depression. Only 7,500 are housed in apartments or hotels. The majority live in camps with conditions unfit even for short-term stay: sleeping on floors, poor hygiene conditions, harassment, violence, and lack of police involvement to resolve conflicts. Amnesty called for the international community to implement its promises and relocate asylum seekers from Greece urgently. The EU should increase the number of relocation places, grant humanitarian visas and establish fast-track and accessible family reunification procedures. The mechanisms to distribute asylum seekers across the EU already exist, but member states are either stalling or actively resisting efforts to implement them.

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos is a Christian orphanage, nurturing vulnerable children in family environments. One worker writes, ‘Finally the winds have eased and we can move about. So many stories of devastation after the hurricane. Houses gone, roofs blown away, animals lost, gardens destroyed - so, so sad. The worst of the storm came in gusts. I imagined Hurricane Matthew was a big dragon, blowing destruction on everyone. I was terrified trees would fall on us and I prayed to God to send His angels to hold back the trees. I imagined the angels doing just that. As I walked around the property this morning I couldn't help thinking the angels had been at work. Some trees fell inches away from children’s homes. The outdoor chapel is a mess, but is the only area in the whole property where there are no houses. How wonderful that Matthew claimed his trees there and not elsewhere!’

In Azerbaijan, investigative journalist, former political prisoner, and Radio Free Europe contributor Khadija Ismayilova told a US congressional hearing of the harsh conditions faced by journalists who report on high-level corruption, saying, ‘There are no laws which state that journalism is a crime - but where critical journalism is concerned, it is difficult to enforce the rule of law.’ 138 political prisoners are in Azerbaijani prisons. In Belarus a blacklisted rock star who uses music to fight censorship has been given a Freemuse award for promoting freedom of expression through music (awarded annually by a Swedish organisation which advocates and defends freedom of expression). In Crimea, Mykola Semena, who contributes to a Crimea Realities website, was charged under the Russian criminal code after he wrote an article saying that Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, should be returned to Ukraine. He is currently under house arrest in Simferopol.