’I’m Still Alive’ — Ukrainian Bishop Exposes the Unseen Psychological War Behind the Bombs
In a harrowing revelation that lays bare the human toll of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, Bishop Pavlo Honcharuk has described the relentless psychological torment endured by both soldiers and civilians under constant bombardment. “There are permanently drones and rockets flying overhead,” he told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “The worst are the fibre-optic drones… they shoot everything that moves and lives. We live in tension.” The bishop said the silence between attacks is often more terrifying than the explosions themselves. “When there is silence, we don’t know what will happen,” he lamented. “Sometimes, when we meet each other, we ask, ‘How are you?’ and the reply is just, ‘I’m still alive.’ And that is good.”
Bishop Pavlo painted a chilling portrait of a nation gripped by invisible wounds—where trauma, displacement, and loss have become daily realities. He warned that returning soldiers, burdened by unseen scars, often struggle to reintegrate into family life, leading to cycles of violence and despair. Through ACN’s trauma-informed courses and humanitarian aid—providing everything from generators to vehicles—the Church is fighting a different kind of war: one for the soul. “ACN is a hand of God, helping us get through our daily life,” Bishop Pavlo said, his words echoing a haunting truth—that in Ukraine today, survival itself has become an act of faith.
