For weeks, videos like these have shown Russian military equipment being transported along the Ukrainian border, prompting fears of an invasion of the country.
After his Sunday Angelus, Pope Francis addressed the situation and prayed for peace.
POPE FRANCIS
'I want to assure you of my prayers for dear Ukraine, for all its Churches and religious communities, and for all its people so that the tensions it is experiencing might be resolved through serious international dialogue and not with weapons.'
The Vatican did not say whether Pope Francis discussed tensions with Russia when he met with Ukraine's prime minister earlier this year, but both expressed hope for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
In St. Peter's Square, the Pope went on to express his concern for the global rise in arms production and his hope for Ukraine.
POPE FRANCIS
'A statistic I read recently greatly saddens me: more weapons were produced this year than last year. Weapons are not the right path. May this Christmas of the Lord bring peace to Ukraine.'
Reports estimate that nearly 100,000 Russian troops have been amassed to Ukraine's border in recent weeks, along with medical equipment and other supplies that signal Russia is preparing for a conflict.
JM
