A small room in an inconspicuous building that belongs to the Light of the Gospel church in Dobropillya is almost full, mostly of older people. The walls are covered in paintings with Christian motifs by famous artists such as Rembrandt and Titian. It is Sunday and the service has begun. Volodymyr, the commander of a drone unit of the 59th Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian army, arrived late and was not able to find a seat. He stands to listen to the sermon, which ends with words of peace.

"I believe that we'll get the whole of Ukraine back," he says afterwards. "I won't accept anything else." The soldier is from the Russian-occupied city of Khartsyzk in the east of Donetsk Oblast. "When I joined the army, I gave myself three months to live, but here I am now," he says with a smile.

At the same time, people are unpacking aid parcels and filling jugs with clean water before going home. The mining town once had 43,000 inhabitants but now has about 35,000. A third of these are internally displaced people from other parts of Ukraine.

"We pray first for our victory and then for peace," emphasizes the military chaplain and pastor Ihor, who was once a firefighter. He talks about how the small town has taken in internally displaced people, and how his congregation has been helping them. "It's a town that serves the people," he says. After Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, it became a place of refuge, and since the Russian occupation of Avdiivka in February 2024, it has been considered a frontline town.

The congregation has set up a laundry room and a shower for military personnel on its premises. At the entrance, two soldiers sit under a poster with the words "Glory to Jesus Christ and........

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