In 2014, with the onset of the Russian aggression, priests of various Ukrainian faiths were also on the front line along with the soldiers. From the first days of the war, they chose the path of a military chaplain for pastoral service in the Ukrainian army, thus starting a new history of military chaplaincy in Ukraine.
This is reported by Armiainform.
According to information from the Center for Moral and Psychological Support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 102 chaplains officially work in the Army as employees — "military priests (chaplains)".
They do not have military ranks and belong to different faiths: the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), the Ukrainian Evangelical Church, The Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith "Tabernacle".
The youngest chaplain is 30 years old, and the oldest is 73. There are no women among them yet.
Among the chaplains working officially, 25 have certificates of a combatant, and some of them have awards and distinctions from the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Recently, the law "On Military Chaplaincy" was adopted, and along with it, the status of military chaplains as military personnel is fixed, their functional duties and requirements are defined.
Chaplain service of the Kholodny Yar separate Mechanized Brigade made public a list of things a chaplain would never do.
"The chaplain never distinguishes which church you are from. He serves as a mentor and sincere conversationalist for people of all faiths and denominations, even for atheists."
"A chaplain never serves alone. Although it seems that he is one for the entire battalion or brigade, his entire church and God are behind him. This is a lot of people and the Almighty Lord, who protects in difficult situations and gives victory in battle with the enemy."
"A chaplain never makes a church out of the army, but he is a Church's representative in the army. If the Church is able to help the army - it helps, if not - the chaplain prays and asks God to come to the rescue."