Trek to Bucha 3
BEYOND BUCHA
Finding the Spirit in Ukraine, from the Churches to the Front
"Beyond Bucha" is the third film in the “Trek to Bucha” series...
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It began with the original film shot in April 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion. 2023’s follow-up, “Back to Bucha,” continues to impact audiences with its ongoing American outreach campaign. The new film continues to document Ukraine’s resilience by focusing on Evangelical pastors and their flocks in Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa.
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Beyond Bucha Production Tour Route
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I just watched the film you sent, and it is awesome! I like how realistic Ukrainian urban and everyday life is represented.
- Mariana Pelypenkom - Student at UNC at Chapel Hill from Shpola, Ukraine
- Mariana Pelypenkom - Student at UNC at Chapel Hill from Shpola, Ukraine
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Trailer
Check out the trailer by clicking here! |
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Impact
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"Beyond Bucha" goes beyond mere documentation, offering a unique opportunity to deepen Americans' understanding of our new allies by:
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The Director
Steve Richards directs and produces all of TheoEco’s documentaries. He went to Ukraine to film Trek to Bucha in late March 2022 for a month-long shoot that is the basis for the film. With six documentaries under his belt, he started TheoEco in 2015. (For his filmography click here.)
Inspired by the acclaimed 2024 Oscar winner, "20 Days in Mariupol," a groundbreaking film shot in the heart of Ukraine during the early stages of the full-scale invasion.
Richards is driven by the same vérité/guerrilla filmmaking ethos. With meticulous editing, evocative music, and other enhancements, he aims to create films that resonate with audiences both in the USA and around the globe.
Steve Richards directs and produces all of TheoEco’s documentaries. He went to Ukraine to film Trek to Bucha in late March 2022 for a month-long shoot that is the basis for the film. With six documentaries under his belt, he started TheoEco in 2015. (For his filmography click here.)
Inspired by the acclaimed 2024 Oscar winner, "20 Days in Mariupol," a groundbreaking film shot in the heart of Ukraine during the early stages of the full-scale invasion.
Richards is driven by the same vérité/guerrilla filmmaking ethos. With meticulous editing, evocative music, and other enhancements, he aims to create films that resonate with audiences both in the USA and around the globe.
Beyond Bucha is a journey through the evangelical heart of Ukraine—part documentary, part travelogue, and wholly focused on faith under fire. Filmed in fall 2024 across cities like Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Odesa, this third installment revisits familiar ground while exploring front-line regions where worship continues despite constant threat. In free Ukraine, churches gather openly; under Russian occupation, evangelical worship is banned, churches are shuttered or seized, and pastors are imprisoned. Beyond Bucha exposes the existential threat Ukrainian evangelicals face and counters false claims—such as Tucker Carlson’s assertion that Ukraine persecutes Christians. The film calls on U.S. believers, including members of Congress, to stand with Ukrainian Christians whose churches, ministries, and very lives are under siege.
Synopsis - The Film in Six Chapters
Introduction
Beyond Bucha is a journey through the evangelical heart of Ukraine—part documentary, part travelogue, and wholly focused on faith under fire. Filmed in fall 2024 across cities like Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, and Odesa, this third installment revisits familiar ground while exploring front-line regions where worship continues despite constant threat. In free Ukraine, churches gather openly; under Russian occupation, evangelical worship is banned, churches are shuttered or seized, and pastors are imprisoned. Beyond Bucha exposes the existential threat Ukrainian evangelicals face and counters false claims—such as Tucker Carlson’s
Introduction
Beyond Bucha is a journey through the evangelical heart of Ukraine—part documentary, part travelogue, and wholly focused on faith under fire. Filmed in fall 2024 across cities like Kyiv, Bucha, Kharkiv, and Odesa, this third installment revisits familiar ground while exploring front-line regions where worship continues despite constant threat. In free Ukraine, churches gather openly; under Russian occupation, evangelical worship is banned, churches are shuttered or seized, and pastors are imprisoned. Beyond Bucha exposes the existential threat Ukrainian evangelicals face and counters false claims—such as Tucker Carlson’s
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Chapter 1: Bucha
In Bucha, we revisit familiar faces, including Julia, the café owner featured in Back to Bucha. Her story of returning to rebuild in 2022 was powerful enough—but now, in 2024, she’s opening another spot: Jul’s Coffee and Cocktails. She offers duck breast and tiramisu alongside espresso and faith, not for profit but to restore her city’s economy. A petite cross around her neck reflects a deeper conviction—her belief in God, her country, and Bucha’s future. Hers is just one example of what could be called “faith-based capitalism,” alive and well across Ukraine. For a deeper dive since the initial destruction of her coffee shop in February 2022, check out Back to Bucha (Again) and Insights from Ukraine’s Faith-Based Capitalism. At Bethany Baptist in Bucha, we meet Pastor Oleksandr Kulbych, a fourth-generation preacher whose great-grandfather was imprisoned during the Soviet era. His congregation still bears the scars of Russian occupation—some members were killed, others are now on the front lines, and PTSD is widespread. Yet the church persists. For more from this Baptist leader check out Bethany Baptist Church - Bucha, Ukraine. |
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Chapter 2: Irpin
In Irpin, we visit a thriving congregation at Irpin Bible Church, led by Pastor Mykola Romaniuk. This dynamic and modern Baptist church features a theater-style chapel, a worship band, and is filled with families and spirit. However, the church’s story took a dramatic turn in February 2022, when Russia invaded from the north. Russian forces shelled the area from occupied Bucha as they attempted to advance on Kyiv. They came close but were ultimately halted in Irpin and forced to retreat. The attached short video briefly captures a typical Sunday service, as well as an interview with Pastor Romaniuk including a dismantling of the disinformation that Ukraine persecutes Christians. In the he also shares how faith, hope, service, and fellowship help sustain the faithful through wartime, and can actually strengthen both the church and its members. For more about the church and pastor check out: Irpin Bible Church – Irpin, Ukraine. |
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Chapter 3: Kharkiv
In early 2023, I filmed a segment for Back to Bucha featuring charismatic/Pentecostal Pastor Oleg Regetsiy of the Church of the Glory of the Lord in Lviv. At the time, he was conducting an online service with his displaced congregation, many of whom had fled Kharkiv in the early days of the war. While Oleg and his family have since returned to Kharkiv, most of his congregation has not. In the video, we see a Wednesday evening Bible study with Oleg’s family and a few parishioners. They translated the service into English for me, though they generally speak Russian, as Kharkiv is predominantly Russian-speaking. The gathering included scripture reading, discussion, and prayer. Despite the ongoing threat of missiles and drones, Kharkiv is far from destroyed. The city boasts the nicest grocery store I've ever seen and a dazzling mall. Sirens are constant, but so are cafés, stores, and resilient people, many of whom never left, even during heavy fighting in 2022. Kharkiv, like Bucha, is a story of victory. Ukrainian forces successfully pushed the Russians out in May 2022, and life, along with religious and other freedoms one expects from European democracies, persists—something Moscow’s autocrat can’t tolerate. |
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Chapter 4: Zaporizhzhia
After visiting Kharkiv, I traveled south through Dnipro to Zaporizhzhia City to meet with Bishop Sergey Gashchenko, leader of the Union of Churches, a Pentecostal/Charismatic denomination. I attended a service at his Source of Life Church, where he preached. The city lies about 25 miles from the front lines. While Zaporizhzhia City remains under Ukrainian control, the majority of Zaporizhzhia Oblast is held by Russian forces. The video makes it clear that the city is far from destroyed. What’s undeniable, however, is the immense danger evangelicals face under Russian occupation—and the church’s heroic efforts to help displaced believers escape. Bishop Gashchenko oversees dozens of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches that provide food, aid, and spiritual care, often risking their lives to defend their religious freedom. For more go to: https://www.theoeco.org/blog/kharkiv-to-zaporizhzhia-pentecostalcharismatic-churches I also met Pastor Karina Medvied of Yahum Church, a young, vibrant Charismatic leader. Karina supports actions against Moscow-aligned Orthodox clergy, citing their political loyalties and interference in Ukraine’s independence. She emphasized that Ukrainians wishing to stay within Orthodoxy should join the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which respects both traditional practices and Ukrainian sovereignty. For more go to: https://www.theoeco.org/blog/a-lady-evangelical-pastor-near-ukraines-front-lines-in-zaporizhzhia Through leaders like Bishop Gashchenko and Pastor Karina, Zaporizhzhia’s churches embody extraordinary courage, compassion, and conviction in a time of great trial. |
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Chapter 5: Odesa
On July 23, 2023, a Russian missile strike severely damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, shocking people around the world, including Christians across America. Despite the attacks, Odesans remain fiercely devoted to their city—a resilience I’ve seen throughout Ukraine. My translator, Sasha Pinchuk, embodies that spirit. Born in Sevastopol, Crimea, Sasha’s family left in 2014. In 2017, he spent a year in Newport while his father studied at the Naval War College. After Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Sasha’s mother and siblings fled to the U.S., staying with a family friend in Rhode Island for 18 months. His father remained in Ukraine, serving on the front lines. When I visited Odesa on October 11, I found the damaged cathedral open. The Sunrise Ensemble performed a moving flute recital in front of it, which we filmed for a short video. Inside, debris remained, but reconstruction had begun. We were even allowed to film inside the nave. That visit also led me to Fr. Theodore Orobets at the smaller Cathedral of the Nativity. Just a month later, it too was hit by a missile. Fr. Orobets explained the distinction between Ukrainian Orthodox churches and those aligned with Moscow, which supports Russian aggression. He firmly denied any persecution of Christians by Ukraine and emphasized the freedom of religious life—unless clergy support the enemy. When sirens sound, his family prays. “Our true defender,” he told me, “is not just Ukraine’s army—but God.” |
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Chapter 6: Kyiv
My final church visit in Ukraine felt like stepping into a Texas mega-church—an energetic service with a vibrant worship band, professional media setup, and a congregation full of families. After the service, I interviewed Pastor Anton Kalyuzhny of New Life Church, a non-denominational congregation. He offered moving reflections on how war reshapes faith, urging believers to embrace lament and recognize God's shared sorrow: “When you are in a war, you cannot run away from pain and evil... He’s crying with us.” Pastor Anton also issued a heartfelt plea to conservatives and evangelicals in the West. Though most Ukrainians are deeply conservative, they’re often mischaracterized as liberals by American media. He expressed deep frustration over how conservative outlets have distorted Ukraine’s reality, leading many U.S. evangelicals to dismiss the voices of their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. He warned that trusting pundits like Tucker Carlson over firsthand testimony from Ukrainian believers is a painful betrayal—“a knife in our hearts.” His call was clear: listen to Ukrainian evangelicals themselves, not just the media narratives. For more go to: We’ve Learned How to Lament and to See that He's Crying With Us. |
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Films in the Trek to Bucha Series:
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Join Our Effort
Please consider a tax-deductible donation to help bring Beyond Bucha to the world.
You’ll find a variety of donation levels each with its own reward package:
You’ll find a variety of donation levels each with its own reward package:
- $50 - Beyond Bucha Friend - Receive a huge “Thank You!” and a mention in the film credits
- $100 - Beyond Bucha Supporter - Receive a huge “Thank You!” and a mention in the film credits plus a small flag brought back from Kyiv by Steve Richards.
- $250 - Beyond Bucha Patron - Receive a huge “Thank You!” and a mention in the film credits plus a small flag brought back from Kyiv by Steve Richards plus a signed poster!
Amount raised so far...
Our Partners
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Ukrainian Catholic University
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In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance. - Phillis Wheatley - 1774