Ukrainian marine commander urges Pope Francis to help save Mariupol: 'Prayers are not enough'

Mariupol, Ukraine.
(Image credit: ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

The Ukrainian marine unit commander in city of Mariupol, currently under siege by Russian forces, has penned a letter to Pope Francis in which he urges the religious leader to help save those still in the city, CNN reports, per online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.

Maj. Serhi Volyna, commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, began his letter to the Pope by noting he is Orthodox, not Catholic, but "I believe in God and I know that light always overcomes darkness."

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.