On February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin’s Russian military conducted a surprise invasion of Ukraine. At the time, most of the world’s military experts agreed on two things. The first was that the attack was unjustified. The second was that it would probably succeed within days. The imbalance between the strength of Russia’s army and that of Ukraine was simply too great. The whole sad episode would be over in a few days—a couple weeks at most.
Then, Ukraine surprised the world. The message was clear, Putin’s dispirited conscripts could not defeat men trying to save their homes and families. The Ukrainians had spent too many years under the tender mercies of the U.S.S.R. to accept Putin’s variety of Russian domination.
Especially valiant were the ten-to-fifteen percent of the population of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is in full communion with Rome. TFP organizations around the world felt the call to assist the besieged Ukrainians. Around the world, TFP members raised their voices in prayer. In answer to those prayers, a plan of action opened.
Since the earliest days of the Christian Era, Saint Michael the Archangel has been recognized as God’s great warrior against Satan. Millions carry Saint Michael medals as defenses against “the wickedness and snares of the devil.” The devotion is particularly strong in Kiev. The decision was made to blanket Ukraine with one million of these effective weapons against evil in both the civilian and military fields.
Over the nearly four years of this program, TFPs have received thanks in many ways. Ukrainian officials have sent many hundreds of photographs of Ukrainians—both civilians and soldiers—receiving, circulating and wearing these powerful sacramentals.
As the conflict enters its fourth year, the American TFP’s sister organizations in the United Kingdom and Poland shared some of those photos. The pictures inspire hope in all Ukrainian friends and encourage as they see the valiant resistance of the valiant defenders of their homeland and Church.
A photo essay with commentary follows.
“May God protect from all evil and misfortune! His Power! A heavenly miracle, beauty created by human hands—‘legendary medals’ for ‘very terrible times’—were produced thanks to the generosity of faithful Catholics. We are very grateful to God and His servants for these gifts! The Most Blessed Sviatoslav Shevchuk, Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, on June 10, 2022, blessed and encouraged all participants in this initiative, assuring them of his prayers and blessing. It is worth remembering that behind the medals are donors from the broad TFP (Tradition, Family, Property) community worldwide, from Australia to Europe and the United States. In Poland, TFP conducts, among other things, the campaign ‘Catholic Poland, not secular.’ Dear Members of the Father Piotr Skarga Institute Foundation, we sincerely thank all of you and the donors for everything on behalf of all of us!”
“We wholeheartedly thank everyone involved in this great mission, may the Most Holy keep them in her care and protect them!”
An Exceptional and Incredibly Moving Gift
On January 31, 2025, the Museum of the Contemporary Russian-Ukrainian War in Dnipro wrote: “Recently, a Defender from the 154th Separate Mechanized Brigade donated to our Museum of the Contemporary Russian-Ukrainian War his personal medallion depicting the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus on one side and Archangel Michael on the other. This unique and incredibly moving gift will surely become an important part of our collection.”
A military volunteer ‘Padre’ from the frontline town writes: “Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have been transporting these medals in batches of 100 per week to all directions of the front, delivering them to the positions.”
A benefactor, Mr. Maciej Maleszyk, was delighted: “Wonderful news! We are the ones who thank you all for fighting and giving us the chance to join this fight. Thank you for your volunteer work, thanks to which the medals reach the most remote corners. God bless you for the materials. May Mary and Saint Michael continue to support us!”
“I have written more than once that without these medals, sending our care packages to the front is not the same as it should be. Many of our defenders write that they are new soldiers and do not have such a protector. So they ask for a few more medals to be sent to them. We are sincerely grateful to everyone who faithfully helps us. It gives the strength to endure this brutal war. Both we and the soldiers are inspired by hope and faith in salvation and victory. Once again, we thank you, both we and our boys, for your care for them. Your prayers and medals protect them.”
“ Once again, we have received spiritual support for our Warriors of Light. Once again, we will be putting medals into every package sent to the front. Heartfelt gratitude to the faithful in Poland for their help and support. We sincerely thank everyone involved in this great mission! Together we are a mighty force. Together with God, the Mother of God, angels, saints, and people of good will, amen. Thanks be to God, His angels, and saints! We thank our donors and benefactors! We are grateful for the chain that connects us all and for the opportunity to be part of hope. We are thankful to Heaven and to you towards Heaven, that we can be part of God’s protection! Thank you for your words and for photos and videos! 🙂 And thank you for cooperating with God!”
“May 12, 2025—Here is a testimony about the miraculous medal of Our Lady of Zarvanytsia and Saint Michael the Archangel. Volunteer Halina Moroż from Dnipro weaves “our” God’s “round” medals into wrist bracelets, offering to God and all involved benefactors “boundless gratitude from a warrior’s mother for the protective medals! Of the five boys who were on a tough combat mission, only one warrior remained unharmed. He wore a medal! Four boys were wounded, which saddens me greatly. After this incident, they wrote to me and asked for medals. God protects.”
“April 4, 2025 Ms. Larisa Dinowska from Podolia “met a soldier who was wounded near Kursk and now serves in our town, and he has your medal on him. It is constantly worn, as he doesn’t take it off.” (about the medal of Our Lady of Zarvanytsia and Saint Michael the Archangel.”
May 11, 2025—Volunteer Ludmyła Sirczenko from Odessa reports:
“Thank you to the donors for the prayer books and medals! In the war, even non-believers begin to believe in God’s protection!
“A defender from the 116th brigade went to Pokrovsk, after his leave. The day before yesterday I gave the boy the medals. He was very happy with them, thanked me, and listened to the stories about being saved. Yesterday morning, he went to the front, and after he left his wife came up and said: ‘Thank you! Honestly, I was surprised at how Roma took them. With gratitude. Because earlier he didn’t believe in God. In short, he didn’t believe in anything. He went through battles near Kupyansk. Now he’s there again.”
March 27, 2025—On the shield, as on the cross…“It’s not things that save…it’s faith that saves…” I “accidentally” scrolled through Facebook and saw this message. “Your bodyguards are with me, protecting me,”—wrote one solder ten days ago to his wife, a volunteer, Hero of Ukraine Jaroslav Popovych, a resident of the village of Kontsovo in Transcarpathia. Before carrying out his combat mission, the warrior was awarded the badge “For the Defense of Ukraine.” He wore “our” medal of the Zarvanytsia Madonna and Saint Michael the Archangel Michael.
“On Good Friday, Mrs. Halyna Moroz wrote to me from the Dnieper: Sunbeam, I am very grateful to you for the medals (…). Today at 5 a.m., three powerful explosions of Russian missiles were so close that I started to stutter, I grabbed the medal and didn’t even have time to pray, but I believed I would survive.”
“Tetiana Zeziulkina writes: Surely every warrior we visited with our team has such a medal. Now we also have it at the Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom. Bravo! I gave the last medals to Swedish volunteers. And I have nothing. The last three medals went to the Ukrainian Embassy in London. Thank you to everyone involved!“
