Prayers held in Nottingham for Ukraine during church service

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Alban in Sneinton hosted a service on Sunday morning

The Ukrainian people "have God on our side" after being invaded by Russia, a priest told worshippers.

At the Sunday service at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and St Alban in Sneinton, the Very Rev Father David Senyk said people have been in front of TV screens "with tears in our eyes".

Hymns were sung in Ukrainian during the service, with the congregation told of support from other faiths.

"We are not alone - the world stands with us," Father Senyk added.

Hymns were sung in Ukrainian during the service

Support has poured in for Ukrainians since the invasion by Russian forces

Father Senyk, who acts as a priest for Ukrainian Catholic churches across the East Midlands, told the congregation that people fearing for friends and family fighting or fleeing the country "truly feel God's love".

Very Rev Father David Senyk told the congregation they have been receiving support from other faiths and communities during the crisis

Father Senyk, who was born in the UK to a Ukrainian father, said the "surreal" week had been "hard to compute" for the community.

"[In] 2022, imagine missiles in a city, bombardments, tanks approaching, sirens going off, air raids - it's difficult not just to explain but to comprehend," he said.

"It's so difficult for us to be able to provide what we would consider ultimate support and reach out to them, and the best we can do at the moment is through prayer.

"We've been brought up knowing what war can do, what Russian oppression can do... the people here are living through the same things that their parents lived through, that their grandparents lived through, and that's what hurts.

"I actually thank God that my father isn't with us today, because this would have broken his heart entirely."

The congregation was told the people of Ukraine "have God on our side"