Ukraine's Muslim Soldiers Defend Their Country While Observing The Holy Month Of Ramadan
While the reports of death and destruction continue to emerge from many parts of Ukraine - the latest being the massacre in the suburban town of Kyiv called Bucha - the Ukrainian forces are resisting the onslaught by the Russian army.
A section of the Ukrainian soldiers who happen to be Muslims began the holy month of Ramadan while defending their country.
Some photos have been shared on the internet showing the Muslim Ukrainian soldiers offering prayers and breaking fast on the first day of Ramadan that began on April 2 in many parts of the world.
In India, Ramadan (also called Ramzan) began on April 3.
The photos are from Islamic Culture Centre, Kyiv.?
Muslims in Ukraine? ?
According to reports, Ukraine has a variety of Muslim communities, which include recent immigrants from the North Caucasus and central Russia who have settled in the capital Kyiv, Odesa (on the Black Sea), Dnipro (in eastern Ukraine), Lviv (near the Polish border) and elsewhere.?
The largest Muslim populations before 2014 were in Crimea and Donbas.
Muslims live in Ukraine as a minority with only one per cent of the total population of the country. Most of them are said to be of the Tatari lineage from the black sea region.
They are said to have always opposed any Russian advancement into Ukraine. Despite being so less in numbers, Ukrainian Muslims have always been a part of the security forces.
There are some Muslims who have migrated from Russia to Ukraine.
What happened in Bucha?
Addressing the media on Sunday, Ukraine President alleged that Russia has carried out war crimes in Bucha. ¡°It is time to do everything possible to make the war crimes of the Russian military the last manifestation of such evil on Earth,¡± he said.
Although Russia denied these allegations, there are evidences that strongly back the claims made by the Ukrainian authorities.?
According to the report, one dead body had its hand bound by the white cloth. The person appeared to have been shot in the mouth.
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