How a Nigerian built one of Europe’s largest churches in…Ukraine
The astonishing tale of an unlikely merchant of miracles
AT 5AM ON February 24th 2022, Sunday Adelaja woke to the sound of explosions. The 57-year-old Nigerian was living in Irpin, just outside Kyiv, close to a military airport. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine was starting. Mr Adelaja hastily gathered his wife, four students staying with them, and a backpack. They took a car as fast as they could to the Polish border.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Christmas Specials section of the print edition under the headline “The megapreacher Putin hates”
Christmas Specials December 21st 2024
- A journalist retraces humanity’s journey out of Africa—on foot
- How much happiness does money buy?
- How the axolotl rose from obscurity to global stardom
- A Bible-bashing, gun-toting governor holds lessons for today
- The incredible story of Afghanistan's exiled women’s cricket team
- A chart that shows everything that has ever existed
- Inside the RSS, the world’s most powerful volunteer group
- How better data could lead to better sex
From the December 21st 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Christmas Specials
The year as told through illustrations
Our art department staff looked back to highlight some of their favourites from the past year
A year of our visual journalism
In 2024 we found new ways to cover a range of topics, from war to the future of energy—and, of course, elections.
A network of volunteers is rescuing dogs and cats by bringing them north
Tens of thousands of animals are moved to new states each year, so they can find homes
The beginning of the end for oil in California
What happens to an oil town when the drilling stops?
What a 70-year-old firebreathing lizard reveals about humanity
Each incarnation of Godzilla reflects the fears of its time
What a fourth-century drinking game tells you about contemporary China
China’s obsession with calligraphy colours its view of itself