SW News: Thousands of residents in the US state of Iowa observed Sunday, March 6, as a Day of Prayer for Ukraine. They joined millions across the globe who are praying for peace in the Eastern European country as fighting continues between Russian troops and Ukrainian troops and armed civilians.

It was Governor Kim Reynolds who inked the proclamation declaring March 6 as a Day of Prayer for Ukraine to express solidarity with its suffering masses and for the restoration of peace and civility. In her appeal, the Governor said, “Iowans and fellow Americans are watching the events in Ukraine with disbelief and sadness that a free people can be threatened by the whim of an evil tyrant. It is almost impossible to comprehend,  yet the human spirit prevails. Soldiers and civilians stand united to protect their homeland. Iowans too stand united in support for the Ukrainian people, especially through the power of prayer."

Meanwhile, in Ukraine, residents of Kyiv are bracing for the arrival of Russian troops. People are huddled together in subway stations and bomb shelters while the roads are blockaded with tires and cement blocks in an apparent bid to disrupt the movement of soldiers and armoured vehicles.

Men sporting yellow armbands are busy scouting neighbourhoods for spies and saboteurs, as per reports of German news portal Der Spiegel.