This week, the war in Ukraine marked its 1,000th day. Since President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, expecting the fall of Kyiv and a quick victory, tens of thousands of people have been killed on both sides. Ukraine has lost about 20 percent of its territory, and Russia has threatened to use nuclear arms.
To understand the current situation, I spoke with the Rev. Igor Boyko, 48, a married Greek Catholic priest and the rector of the Greek Catholic seminary in Lviv, last weekend in Rome. Father Boyko studied at the pontifical universities in Rome, gaining degrees in theology and philosophy, and is an expert in bioethics. Like most people, he wants the war to end, but, he explains, not at any price.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Gerard O’Connell: After 1,000 days of war, what’s the situation in Ukraine today? How do people in Ukraine feel?
Father Igor Boyko: If we talk today, after 1,000 days of war, we see that people are tired. Yes, the war is there. It is not felt the same way in all parts of Ukraine, because Western Ukraine does not feel it so much. In the last few months, let’s say, there’s been heavy shelling, certainly in the city of Kyiv, the cities of Dnipro, Kherson, Kharkiv. But also other cities feel the shelling practically every day. Then there are these bombardments with missiles, with drones. This brings fear into the hearts of many people, and on the other side, we have many people losing their lives. We also have so many people injured, maimed, left without legs, without a hand, who need rehabilitation. We have so many widows, so many orphaned children, and all these are unfortunately the very difficult consequences of the war.
We hear there are many orphans in Ukraine now as a result of the war.
This happens often if there are large families with many children. For example, at the cemetery that I go to visit with my seminarians, I met a family with the mother present at her husband’s grave along with five little girls who were putting some flowers and telling the dad what they were experiencing. As I approached I found a woman who wanted to talk to someone; she told me a lot about her husband, what he was like, what he did in life. Then I saw that even the girls wanted to tell me about their daddy. One told about his coming to her in dreams; others told about what they wanted to become when they grew up. At that moment I realized that the woman, the children, these orphans would like to have next to them a masculine presence who can listen to them since daddy is absent. I can’t replace their daddy, but still I can give them attention by active listening for 20 minutes or more. Many people need to express grief today.
President-elect Donald Trump says he can stop the war. What do people in Ukraine think?
I don’t know if anyone can answer these questions because we hear people say, “Trump is unpredictable.” We can’t know what his moves will be. What will he do? What would he let go in order to end this war? We don’t know how it will turn out. Some say maybe Trump could influence oil prices in Russia and in this way weaken Russia more economically so that they stop this war. There are different theories and opinions on how this war could end, but I don’t know.
What is the situation today? How much territory have you lost?
I don’t know exactly, maybe 20 percent of the land, but the issue is not that the land is of interest to the Russians because they already have enough land. In my opinion, this is not a war just to conquer the land; rather it is a war to bring the Ukrainian people to their knees, to exterminate the Ukrainian people, to [commit] genocide, and this is seen by their tactics. They raze cities, they destroy the land but also the people. It is a tactic of destruction, an atrocity that sometimes exceeds all human imagination. They want to destroy the Ukrainian nation.
After 1,000 days Ukraine does not appear to be gaining in the war, and Russia seems to make some advances. To get peace what do you think Ukraine is willing to give up, or are there nonnegotiable points?
I’m not a politician; I say honestly what I think. Certainly not to continue the war for too long. Ukraine, from what I understand, may have to give up something to Putin. But at the same time, when I say that and I listen to widows who have lost their husbands, and I listen to mothers who have lost their children, they do not understand, they do not accept giving up territory. They ask: “Is it right that our son died in this war and now we give up the Donbas or Crimea?” We have to be very careful because these issues are very difficult and sensitive for people.
What do you think could be the best scenario and the worst scenario?
The ideal scenario would be that the Russians stop shooting, withdraw from Ukrainian territory because they invaded it unjustly and then make a just retribution for the damage they did and be judged in a court for the crimes they committed. This would be the best scenario, but perhaps it is science fiction that is not possible.
The worst scenario would be that [Putin] does not want to stop. He often talks about how they can continue the war again and again, and now with the help of soldiers from North Korea. He is reaching an agreement with China and could ask other countries for support in this war. This could mean that war will not end soon, and we will pay even more in the loss of life and destruction. The worst scenario would be to have the whole country conquered by Russia.
Can you imagine a Ukraine without Crimea and Donbas?
I tell you sincerely I can imagine perhaps a Ukraine without Donbas. I’m sorry, but I know what I’m saying. The war in Donbas has been going on since 2014, so the people who were there have already made their choice. Those who wanted to be for Ukraine settled in other parts of the country, but when I talk to these people they tell me we hope to return to our homes [in Donbas]. They still have this hope even if it is small because they were forced to leave. But if the war is to continue and cause more deaths, cause more disaster, maybe it is worth saying, “O.K., take [the Donbas], but leave us in peace, give us guarantees that you will never invade Ukraine again.”
On the other hand, I see Crimea as a strategic place, and much more difficult to give away. If we give it to the Russians they will surely continue to do what they are doing now, putting fear into Ukraine by their presence, and we would have no security. But here many political issues come into play. It would be better to liberate everything, but I don’t know if that is feasible now.
What would you like the United States to do now?
Help us end this war. To find a way out that would be fair for Ukraine because Russia did a great injustice by invading Ukraine. It’s not right to invade a territory that doesn’t belong to you, and if the United States can really be strong and say [to Russia] that the occupied territory can’t be occupied. This would indeed be great.
What is the situation of the Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine today?
The Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine showed its true face in this war. The priests, the nuns, consecrated people and seminarians have always sought to be close to the people; they never abandoned the people. We have many chaplains who are in the military. We have nuns in different places who take care of people in need. Everyone is trying to be of help to people during this war. Our synod is present; our bishops are present. They did not run away, even where there was danger.
If the Russians had invaded other cities, I think among the first ones who would suffer strong consequences would also be the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church as they did in 1945 and 1946 when [the Soviets] sent its priests and religious to Siberia or shot or killed or put them in prison. We already had some cases in this war: priests who were taken prisoners but are now free.
What consequence has the war had on the Orthodox Church, which was the majority one in Ukraine?
If we are talking about the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, many people no longer want to be part of this church. A lot of people today are also looking for refuge in a church that can give them some hope, a church that can also give them some welcome, a church that gives them some help, and they definitely see this in other churches. But they don’t see it so much in the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, which has this ideology that [shared by] Patriarch Kirill of Moscow that, for the Russian world, we are one people and so our territory has to be united with Russia. So people in Ukraine today find more credibility in a church that is truly doing good, that serves the people of Ukraine.
Do you feel disappointed because there is less talk in the media about Ukraine since war broke out in the Middle East after Oct. 7?
We cannot be disappointed because if we are disappointed how can we conduct the war? Yes, there are some who do not want to go to war because they understand that it is very dangerous. Each day is becoming more difficult, but we do not surrender. To surrender means we are finished, and in a few days, they will occupy everything. And then what will become of us? Yes, people are tired [of the war], but they are not losing faith, they are not going out into the streets saying, “Enough, let’s end this war, let’s make some kind of agreement.” They want peace but only a peace that is just and guarantees our security
Is President Volodymyr Zelensky still very popular after three years?
I tell you this. It is my personal opinion. He really showed himself as a president during the war. He made some courageous decisions when he decided to stay in Ukraine and not run away even though he had proposals [to leave the country]. Then there was a whole year when he decided, even though it was dangerous, to leave the country and go to other countries to talk about the situation in Ukraine and to ask for help and to thank those who were giving us help. He showed himself to be a president that we were truly proud to have. Today, maybe he travels less, maybe you hear his voice less because of tiredness and other things, but this does not mean that he loses popularity. The Ukrainian people have chosen him, and he has to continue this mandate as our president.
