Pilipovich, Kiev Province, April 14, 2022
Photo: spzh.news
Thanks to the efforts of a local Orthodox priest, more than 1,500 people were safely evacuated during the shelling in the Kiev Province.
Not only did Archpriest Boris Kovalchuk of the Church of the Great Martyr Demetrios in the village of Pilipovich organize several trips, but he also headed up each convoy, placing himself in danger.
Fr. Boris spoke with Anton Geraschenko, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, who noted: “Fr. Boris wasn’t afraid to hold negotiations with the occupants and agree on the evacuation of civilians. Moreover, in each trip, Fr. Boris rode in the first car, so that in the event of shelling, he could take the first blow on himself,” reports the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
As Fr. Boris relates, he negotiated five separate trips with the Russian Army, allowing the evacuation of more than 1,500 people. And after each trip, they returned with food, medicine, and other necessities for the whole village.
“Taking care of the living, Fr. Boris also paid tribute to the fallen defenders by removing the bodies of 11 victims and organizing the burial of the bodies of those who couldn’t be taken out,” Geraschenko said.
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