The priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kyiv Patriarchate, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church support and hold prayers with the Ukrainian military along Ukraine’s southern border, Father Serhiy Dmytriev (UOC) said.
The priests established contact with representatives of all military units and are not only helping them in spiritual matters but they are also asking them what they need. The priests worked partly as carriers, passing along requests to the community and bringing supplies from the local regional state administration buildings. As for their religious support, they constantly hold prayer sessions with the soldiers, bless equipment, and distribute crosses.
“A month ago, at the start of the intervention, one of our ministers, Father Oleh Varakuta, joined the army. He had previously been a military commissioner with the rank of lieutenant colonel and decided to go back to the army. Also Father Valentin Bondar was recently mobilized, but he is waiting for the final command,” Archpriest Petro Koval said about the mobilization of priests.
In addition, the Christians also helped in secular needs. Among the essentials that they have collected are sunscreen, disposable dishes, socks, backgammon, cards, and cigarettes. Residents of the nearby regions in the first day after the call for help collected more than 200,000 hryvnias, which immediately went toward the needs of the military.
“Over the past three days, the situation on the border intensified. The most alarming rumors that are spreading are about Transnistria and Odesa. Additional military forces have been deployed there, and we are here for the second day, then we will return to Kherson. Five times a day Russian helicopters fly just 30 meters overhead. Everyone is waiting for further developments,” Father Serhiy said.
Mobile groups of ministers are visiting military installations along the border, visiting about 5 bases per day. According to witnesses, currently there are units of the Chechens and Crimean self-defense units near the border with Russia.
Another task of the locals and the priests is to catch provocateurs and reconnaissance agents from Russia. Often in a town or village there are unknown persons, who immediately begin to glean the latest data, and often hand out separatist literature. Interestingly, the local Ukrainians themselves seize the unknown persons and bring them to the Security Service.
If you want to help the clergy or the military, which is guarding the borders, you can send supplies Kherson, 36 Dekabystriv Street.