Ukraine: Dean of evangelical seminary found dead in Bucha

Thursday, April 7, 2022

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) - The dean of an evangelical seminary in Kyiv is among hundreds of civilians killed in the city of Bucha in northwest Ukraine, according to Church Leaders in Kiev.

The death of Vitaly Volodymyrovich Vinogradov was announced on April 4 by the Kyiv Slavic Evangelical Seminary (KSES) at which he had been the dean.

Atrocities uncovered recently in Bucha reveal that Russian troops tortured and murdered men, women, and children, including the elderly, in actions that have been widely condemned as war crimes and genocidal.

While Russia has denied the senseless horrors of Bucha as a hoax put on by Ukraine and its supporters, on April 4 Kim Bien Bum, principal of Kiev Slavic Evangelical Seminary (KSES) and pastor of Christ’s Blessing Church said in a statement: “Vitaly Volodymyrovich Vinogradov our dear brother, Christian leader, employee and a wonderful person, was found dead in Bucha.”

“There are no words to express all the heartache. We will all miss him dearly on this earth, but we are glad that his life goes on forever,” Bien Bum continued. “He will be greatly missed.”

In a separate video message about the atrocities in Bucha, Yarsolav “Slavik” Pyzh, president of the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary (UBTS) in Lviv said: “For us as a nation, it’s a very difficult time. Seeing what other human beings could do to innocent civilians, women and children, and elderly people. And I know the time will come when the whole idea of forgiveness will have to sink into our minds, but now we’re not in that period. Now we are in the stage of living through this evil.” Pyzh said.