Like many others, my family and I were on midwinter break when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began.

My family and I were on the Washington coast when it happened, and if I hadn’t had the poor discipline to check my email while on vacation we may not have found out for a day or two. Once I did learn of it, however, I (like many of us) became glued to the news. We still enjoyed our vacation. But I was also checking my New York Times and other apps for updates several times a day.

Again, like most of us I imagine, my loyalty was immediately on the side of Ukraine. I found President Zelensky’s leadership inspiring. The Ukrainians’ willingness to suffer and fight for their home made me proud. I was frightened for the people (as I still am), and gladly received news of the early failures of the Russian advance.

And then I saw the bodies.

After getting home from our trip, I stayed up late one night looking for more on-the-ground news of the war. I found a Twitter thread of an independent Ukrainian journalist who was clearly patriotic about his country. His updates and photos were eye-opening, and he often linked or posted photos and updates from other eye-witnesses and journalists. He had articles he had written for a local paper in Kyiv. And he also had pictures of dead Russian soldiers.

What struck me first, however, was not the pictures of the dead. It was a video he shared of a Russian troop helicopter being shot down.

There were two Russian helicopters in the video, flying from right to left. I believe it was a video of the Russian attempt to take the airport south of Kyiv. As the helicopters flew by, you could hear the chatter of the two Ukrainians (presumably civilians) who were filming the invasion on their phone. Suddenly a streak of smoke rose up toward one of the helicopters and the helicopter burst into flames. As it continued flying forward it collapsed in half, the front end folding rearward against the back. It arced downward and exploded just above the distant treetops. The men filming the video cheered.

In the comment section of the video, someone made the point that we just watched people die. In their words, “We just saw between 5 and 25 people burn to death, probably mostly young men in their 20s.” The comment wasn’t posted to shame anyone, nor was it an attempt to play “devil’s advocate.” It was simply an observation that what we saw in the video was something incredibly sad.

As a Christian, I believe God’s design for the world is peace. I also believe, as the Hebrew Scriptures tell us, “There is a time for war” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). I believe the overall thrust of Scripture is that war is always a tragedy and an evil. It is also a judgment, often on everyone involved (but always at least on someone — usually, ultimately, the aggressor). And I believe the Ukrainians have every right before God to defend themselves and each other, especially for the sake of the vulnerable in their midst.

It is my prayer that Ukraine will preserve its independence and that Russia will cease its hostilities. I pray for the protection of the innocent and for peace on earth. I pray we in the West will do all we can to help our allies and friends. I pray for victory for Ukraine if the war should continue. And I’ve also been reminded that every death in war — even the death of our enemies — is a tragedy.

— Mike Ivaska is the pastor of Vashon Island Community Church, which is affiliated with the Assembly of God denomination.