WCC News: WCC renews call for an end to unconscionable violence of Russia’s escalating attacks on civilians in Ukraine

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay, after massive waves of drone and missile attacks by the Russian Federation on Ukraine, renewed the WCC’s call for an end to unconscionable violence. Residential buildings in Irpin, Kyiv region of Ukraine, attacked and damaged by the invading forces of the Russian Federation, August 2022. Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC 19 May 2026 “Impacts on civilians and their communities continue to escalate on an almost daily basis, without respite or accountability. This bloodshed must stop. The Russian invasion of Ukraine must end. There must be accountability for all crimes committed, including the international crime of aggression,” said Pillay.  “The World Council of Churches extends its solidarity to innocent people suffering in this context, and to the churches and religious leaders as they minister to their communities living under the daily threat of attacks on their families, homes, and livelihoods, more than four years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.”  Pillay concluded: “We invite all WCC member churches, and all people of good will, to join in praying and working for peace in this context of senseless killings and injuries of innocent people.” WCC statement on the escalating impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine Statement of the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) on the new crimes against humanity committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland