Joe Biden will deliver his first State of the Union Address tonight at 8 pm Central time. The speech takes on a greater significance after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week. Biden will look to address the pandemic, his stalled domestic agenda, and confront Russia’s violent tactics in Ukraine.

Russian forces bombarded the central square in Ukraine’s second-largest city and other civilian sites Tuesday in what the country’s president condemned as a blatant campaign of terror by Moscow.

Russian forces continue to advance on the capital, Kyiv. Meanwhile, Russia’s economy begins to suffer as a result of sanctions imposed by western nations.

St. Thomas Campus Ministry and the Office for Mission held an ecumenical prayer last Friday for justice and peace in Ukraine. Ukrainian Theology professor Paul Gavilyuk asked the community to seek reliable information through social media connections.

St. Thomas student Bohdan Kyrychuk and Rev. Lawrence Blake also spoke at the prayer. Calling on the St. Thomas community for support during this difficult time.

Ethan Erickson can be reached at eric2339@stthomas.edu.