As the war in Ukraine grinds on, many commentators are looking for historical parallels to point towards how the conflict might end, what the impact may be on those forced to endure it and what life might be like afterwards.
The experience of Aleppo, in north west Syria, may provide a few clues. Early on in the Ukrainian conflict a BBC correspondent said that, if we were unaware of what Russian battle tactics look like, ‘then we had not been paying attention’. He drew a direct line between what Putin’s military did, first in the Chechen capital Grozny during the war of 1999–2000, which resulted in the United Nations calling it ‘the most destroyed city on earth’ by 2003, and then Syria.
As in Chechnya, Russian intervention played a decisive role in overwhelming opposition forces to President Bashar Assad after the civilian uprising of 2011. Putin’s forces deployed tanks and mortars against rebel groups based in civilian areas and later used barrel bombs, missiles and shells in heavily populated regions. Russia then continued that strategy, including attacks on markets and hospitals, only with much greater fire power. Experts believe that some of the weapons now being used in Ukraine were first tested in Syria.
Aleppo witnessed the worst destruction, with churches and church properties bearing the brunt. Nationwide, over 120 churches and Christian worship places were damaged or destroyed, according to the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights. In Aleppo, 24 were damaged by rebels and six by the government. At least four evangelical churches were seriously damaged and required rebuilding. In one case, the church built new premises in a safer area of the city. Since 2011, some 30% of Syria’s 2.2 million Christians are thought to have fled the country.
Despite the conflict raging around them, churches carried on giving as much practical aid and spiritual and emotional support as they could to congregations and local communities. Throughout the war, SAT-7’s two Arabic-language Christian TV channels (one for adults and one for children) were available to Syrian viewers. SAT-7 is a Christian TV network broadcasting across the Middle East. This month the network messaged some of those who regularly contact it to ask about their current situation.
Many said they had moved several times in order to live in safety. Although free from conflict, they paint a picture of severe hardship. Many have only a few hours of electricity a day and are struggling financially.
George, a young viewer of SAT-7 KIDS, said, ‘The war ended, but we can’t return now to our home; we live in another region. We go to school and church, but we can’t go outside alone because there have been kidnapping cases. The church is helping us to grow spiritually through Sunday School, but can’t afford to help us financially. I would like to ask you to pray for the children in Syria because many of them don’t have food so they search for scraps in the rubbish.
