Riforma.it reports that around 168,000 Bibles and other Biblical books have recently been distributed in Ukraine. The British and Foreign Bible Society in the UK provided the Bibles to the Ukrainian Bible Society, who distributed them to several communities in the country. Presses in Finland, Poland, the Netherlands, and Slovenia also provided Bibles and other books.
The demand for Bibles in Ukraine has grown since the Russian invasion. Deputy secretary-general Anatoliy Raychynets says that this is because the presence of death in Ukraine has led people to ask questions about life. He tells that he has delivered thousands of Bibles personally, and that “a light has come in the dark”.
Raychynets stresses that it is important to distribute small versions of the Bible, because many people are displaced and cannot bring much. The distribution of these 168,000 Bibles include 34,000 Ukrainian pocket Bibles, 7,000 New Testaments, and 57,000 books to support people with trauma caused by conflict.
Bible supplies quickly ran out, because the demand was bigger than the supply. Since the beginning of the war, around 655,700 Bibles and other books have been distributed to people running from the conflict, both in Russian and Ukrainian. The books were distributed to people seeking refuge in countries like Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the US, and the UK.
Oldi Morava from the Bible Society expresses her gratitude: “We are incredibly moved by the generosity from our supporters and the relentless effort from our colleagues in Ukraine, who made it possible to deliver Bibles to the Ukrainian people and who succeeded to bring hope to people who live in unbelievable circumstances.”
