Opposition leader, Victor Yanukovych, seems to have won Ukraine’s presidential election yesterday by a 5% margin. Final counting will be completed soon. Some say that there will be an investigation as to the legitimacy of the election.

Public opinions vary. To quote one Ukrainian, “It marks a return to the situation we were in the 1990s, when we were ruled by oligarchs.  Yanukovych is one of those figures, backed and funded by oligarchs.  So I hope

Yulia can mount a proper challenge to the result.”

To quote from the other side, “Mrs. Tymoshenko has disappointed many voters…during her time as prime minister; she failed to show any real achievements on the path to economic recovery.”

However, the economy is of less interest to me than the spiritual condition of the nation.  Let us pray that Mr. Yanukovych will not lead Ukraine back to a time of religious oppression, as some have predicted. They could be wrong.  Let us ask the Lord to use Mr. Yanukovych to maintain and even increase Ukraine’s religious freedom, by God’s grace.

Rich Strahm for Equippers Network International