On August 5, 2021, a meeting of the chairman of the SUVD Ioan (Yaremenko) with the chaplain (Major) Jeffrey Cole, chaplain of the American contingent of the international training mission "UNIFIER" was held on the premises of the Synodal Department of Military Clergy. The meeting was attended by the deputy chairman of the SCD for international and interfaith cooperation, archpriest Konstyantyn Kholodov.
This is reported on the Facebook page of the Synodal Department of the Military Clergy of the OCU.
The parties discussed ways of cooperation and further development of relations. They also discussed the education and training of military chaplains.
Operation Unifier, also known as the Joint Task Force of the Armed Forces of Canada - Ukraine, is the contribution of the Armed Forces of Canada to the security of Ukraine in coordination with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It began with the Russian incitement to war in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea after the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine.
The operation is part of the Multinational Joint Commission, a larger body consisting of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania and Denmark aimed at reforming the Ukrainian military. The Canadian Forces involved in the operation are descended from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment. The Canadian contribution to the training is provided by about 200 Canadian soldiers who rotate every 6 months.