Training of Military Chaplains for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Conditions of the Invasion by the Russian Federation

Abstract

The article analyzes the comprehensive training of military chaplains for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The legislative basis of chaplaincy, and the methods and state of its implementation are characterized. The problems that can befall a military chaplain are identified, in particular the contradiction in the combination of military service and pacifism. The development of chaplaincy in Ukraine is outlined. Active assistance to the chaplaincy began only after the Orange Revolution (2004-2005). The following year, a legislative act was made through the directive “On streamlining issues of meeting the religious needs of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.” Later, a sector for work with religious organizations was created under the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The relationship between the gradual democratization of society and the development of chaplaincy is examined. In 2021, the Law of Ukraine “On the military chaplaincy service” was adopted, which became the basis for this study. After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the outbreak of war in the East of Ukraine, the institute of chaplaincy began to develop more systematically and dynamically, which is not typical of the previous period. The accumulation of military force by the Russian Federation on the borders of Ukraine, and the real danger of a military invasion, became catalysts for accelerating the quality of registration and functioning of the chaplaincy. The processes of training military chaplains were intensified by volunteer clergy, who joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014. As a result of the study, the current algorithm for training chaplains for service in the Ukrainian army was determined. The results are presented in a table. It has been established that, in the implementation of this algorithm, several urgent inaccuracies and problems have been identified. Conflicts and misunderstandings mainly arise because of the multi-confessionalism of Ukrainian Christianity, as in those between representatives of the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches. Often, soldiers do not know the difference between these institutions, and, sometimes, battalion commanders do not allow Orthodox or other chaplains to serve because of their own religious beliefs.