If you’re reading this article, then the chances are that your life was transformed by a Middle Eastern refugee—a child refugee. A child refugee wrapped in swaddling clothes and carried across a desert by his mother. That first Christmas—a story of hope, deliverance, and God’s redemption—is also a story of persecution, displacement, and a dangerous crossing. It is the story of a family filled with fear, fleeing their home in search of safety. 

Deadly violence in Kyiv, Ukraine, escalated this week during clashes between anti-government protestors and government forces. Protests have been ongoing since November, but fighting intensified despite a declared truce between opposition leaders and the Ukrainian government on Wednesday.

According to reports, snipers and gunfire killed an estimated 42 people on Thursday, pushing the related death toll to around 70. Hundreds have been injured in the city center since February 18, though unconfirmed local estimates put that number higher.