Themes by tag: religion

Olena Lehenchuk, a native of Zhytomyr and mother of four, moved to Spain with her children six years ago. When the full-scale war began, she began volunteering and later became a chaplain (military priest). Now Olena divides her time between Ukraine and Spain, returning to see her children.

Olena serves as a volunteer chaplain. Her duties include providing pastoral care to soldiers, but as she explains, her role has expanded significantly. In addition to spiritual guidance, she provides psychological support.

Chaplain Olena organizes retreats for soldiers and their families, holds weekly meetings for soldiers’ wives, and provides counseling for veterans and those returning from captivity. She also provides general support to the wives of POWs and visits widows.

By prior arrangement, interviews with Olena can be conducted in Kyiv or Poltava, as well as online.

• military
• religion
• women
• Kyiv
• Poltava

During russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church priests Bohdan Heleta and Ivan Levytskyi continued to serve their parish in occupied Berdiansk, located in the Zaporizhia region. On November 16, 2022, russian forces abducted them. The soldiers reportedly came directly to the church, offering Father Bohdan a chance to cooperate—an offer both priests declined. Soon after, the russians claimed they had allegedly discovered weapons inside the church.

Father Bohdan spent nine months imprisoned in Berdiansk before being transferred to a penal colony in Horlivka, within the occupied Donetsk region, where he endured another ten months. In total, he spent a grueling year and a half in captivity. Throughout his imprisonment, Father Bohdan endured harsh conditions, often sleeping on the floor and being subjected to the constant sounds of others being tortured by the russians. While in solitary confinement in Berdiansk, he was forced to listen to Soviet-era music playing through a speaker for hours on end, an experience that pushed him to the edge of sanity. The abuse only worsened in Horlivka.

On June 28, 2024, both Father Bohdan and Father Ivan were finally freed during a prisoner exchange.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Father Bohdan, either in person in Lviv or virtually, by prior agreement.

• occupation
• prisoners
• religion
• russian crimes
• Lviv

Launched in the summer of 2023, the spiritual recovery program at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, known in English as the Monastery of the Caves has seen participation from 700 soldiers and 20 chaplains. Set within the historic confines of the reserve, the initiative aims to rejuvenate soldiers by immersing them in Ukraine’s rich cultural, historical, and spiritual heritage.

The program unfolds in two stages. The first stage is a 10-day program where military personnel engage in activities such as archaeological excavations of ancient walls and a glassmaking workshop dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. They also visit exhibitions at the Treasury of the National Museum of History and the Museum of Books and Printing, participate in an icon painting master class, explore the Upper and Lower Lavra, and join in worship services. The second stage, titled “Day at the Lavra for Military,” involves groups of veterans spending a day at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra with a lecturer-guide. They explore the grounds, take guided tours, participate in reserve activities, and visit local shrines. Additionally, the program offers support for the families of active duty servicemen and prisoners of war.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• religion
• Kyiv

64-year-old pastor Anatolii Voloshyn joined the Mariupol Territorial Defense Forces on February 25, 2022. Anatolii became the commander of the counter-subversive unit. On March 14, 2022, he received a shrapnel wound in a mine blast – a fragment damaged his arm, hit his ribs and broke his bones. The pastor was first taken to a local hospital for a surgery, and later – to Azovstal Steelworks.

In May 2022, following the order of the top military leadership Anatolii and his comrades left Azovstal and surrendered. At that time, the man was emaciated (he had lost 22 kilograms), one of his arms did not function, and his ribs were broken. The occupiers brought the pastor together with the rest of the military to the camp in Olenivka, and later took him to Luhansk region. The pastor spent 295 days in russian captivity. On March 6, 2023, Anatolii Voloshyn returned home in a prisoner exchange.

After rehabilitation, the pastor moved to the capital with his family, learned to roller skate, something he had dreamed of for over 20 years, and now he plans to see the ocean.

• casualties
• prisoners
• religion

On January 24, Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform will host a press conference entitled: “Nothing sacred: war crimes by the russian occupiers against religious communities and the clergy.”

During the event, the participants will speak of numerous facts of religious persecution in the occupied territories and violations of international humanitarian law by the aggressor against religious buildings during hostilities.

Participants:

• Viktor Yelenskyi, Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience;
• Yevgeniy Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group;
• Vyacheslav Likhachev, Expert Council Member at the Center for Civil Liberties;
• Ruslan Khalikov, religious studies expert, Head of “Religion on Fire” project, Workshop for the Academic Study of Religion.

The event requires registration.

• religion
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Ivan Teremko has been a priest for 30 years, and for 22 years he has been conducting church services on prostheses. In 1999, he became the abbot of the Archangel Michael Church in the village of Hlushkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk region. (Recently, he was awarded a high church award – the “Cross of Freedom” medal).

A few days ago, a photo went viral, in which the priest is sitting with a Ukrainian defender who lost both his legs in the war with both their prostheses nearby. The priest shared his experience of holding church services for more than 20 years despite living with the amputations of his two legs, and also supported the military man.

Ivan Teremko lost his legs as a result of extreme weather that raged in 2002. He was trapped in the snow, and he even had to crawl on his hands through the snow to survive.

Journalists are welcome to learn more about this tragic case and how the priest takes care of his parish during the war by talking to him offline or online. 

• religion
• Ivano-Frankivsk

On December 25, the largest didukh in Ukraine, measuring 7.5 meters high will be installed in Kyiv. The trident-shaped didukh will be made of wheat. It was created by paratrooper Yaroslav Kuchma, who was temporarily unable to walk due to an injury, and 95-year-old Pelageya Zhyvko from the Lviv region.

News media to cover participants giving comments on the event:

– the National Register of Records of Ukraine experts;

– Tetiana Volochai, Director at MHP-Hromadi Charitable Foundation (that provided financial support to the initiative);

– Pavlo Moroz, Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Department of MHP;

– Oksana Poviakel, Director General of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine;

– Yaroslav Kuchma, paratrooper, commander of the 80th Separate Air Assault Brigade of the Airborne Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Event accreditation is required.

For reference: Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made of ears of grain (originally a pagan idol, a symbol of a patron ancestor, and a symbol of harvest, prosperity, and wealth).

• culture
• religion
• Kyiv

On December 14, a ceremonial handover of chaplain backpacks to military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will take place in Kyiv. For the first time, volunteers will give each military chaplain a special backpack for the needs of chaplains serving at the frontlines.

The organizers of the event are convinced that volunteer support for chaplaincy service is extremely important, because chaplains take care of the spirit of Ukrainian soldiers.

The participants of the event will include:

• Nadiia Vovk – a Ukrainian volunteer, the initiator of the campaign to support and provide for chaplains in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Colonel Oleksii Tereshchuk – Head of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Military chaplains of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of various denominations.

The event requires accreditation.

• religion
• Kyiv

On February 26, 2022, Vasyl Vyrozub, the abbot of the Odesa Holy Trinity Church of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, was captured by the enemy. He was among those who went to Snake Island to collect the bodies of the border guards, who were still considered dead at that time.

The Ukrainian ship that Vasyl was traveling on was captured by the russian cruiser “Moskva.” The man, along with two other military chaplains and a doctor, was captured by the russians. Vasyl’s captivity lasted 70 days, during which he was tortured. The russians interrogated the Ukrainians constantly: they could not understand why the crew had set out to collect the bodies of the border guards. The captives were forced to sing the national anthem of the aggressor country, stand on their knees, and were kept in solitary confinement.

After being captured, Vasyl received the Memory of Nations award from the Czech non-profit organization Post Bellum, the main purpose of which is to honor living witnesses of historical events: war veterans, political prisoners.

For reference: The fighting for Snake Island began on February 24, 2022, when russian invaders captured the island. At first all 13 Ukrainian border guards who had been protecting the island were considered to have been killed. Subsequently, the Border Service of Ukraine reported that the Snake island defenders may be in captivity.

On July 4, 2022, Snake Island returned under Ukraine’s control. 

• casualties
• prisoners
• religion
• russian crimes

On December 10, in Kyiv, Plast will hold the first official event in Ukraine to transfer the Light of Bethlehem to the military, civil and volunteer organizations. In particular, representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, “Come back Alive” Foundation, the Serhiy Prytula Foundation, BUR, ULA and many others will receive a lamp with the Light from the Holy Land.

Plast scouts will receive a lamp with the Light of Bethlehem at a traditional scouting ceremony in Vienna on the morning of December 10 and will immediately take it to Kyiv. The event in the capital will begin with a marathon of good deeds for the military. Plast scouts and guests will make trench candles, helmets, bracelets and letters. Then this winter’s first official transfer of the Peace Light of Bethlehem in Ukraine will begin: Plast will share the Light with everyone present.

Later, through Ukrzaliznytsia, it will be distributed to all corners of the country. Lamps will also be delivered for defenders at the front lines.

Background: Plast has been participating in the “scout relay” of the Bethlehem Light for more than 30 years.

• culture
• military
• religion
• volunteers