Jewish Ukrainian father and son soldiers mark holy days under cloud of Russia's war

Asher and David Cherkaskyi, Ukrainian Orthodox Jews who are father and son and have both been on the front lines in Ukraine's fight against Russian occupation, in Dnipro in July. (Eleanor Beardsley/NPR)

For Ukrainian Orthodox Jews Asher and David Cherkaskyi, a father and son both fighting on the front lines in the eastern Donbas region, beating Russia has become especially important to them because of their faith.

While Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claims his army is "liberating" Ukrainians from a Nazi regime, the Cherkaskyis say it is just the opposite — they say Ukraine is fighting the evil of a fascist dictatorship in Moscow.