Rev Stephen Baxter very briefly touches upon the important role of the Chaplain who serve at War and sadly notes that at present Britain is helping train Ukrainian Chaplains in serving out their faith on the frontline. This short extract from an article written by David Parsley brings further enlightenment: It’s a hot and bright spring day in a remote corner of Wiltshire, where dozens of Ukrainian troops are coming to the end of their five week training programme with the British forces. Among them is the first cohort of Ukrainian military chaplains to have gone through their paces with their British counterparts. These are men, of all faiths, who will soon join troops in more than 1,000 miles of trenches along the front line in Ukraine. While the chaplains also undertake much of the basic training received by Ukrainian troops, they will not be armed when they join the combat arena. They are taught first aid, how to take evasive action during attacks, to drive basic armoured vehicles. But, their primary job is to bring hope to those who are armed and who are fighting the Russian invaders. As one, Lieutenant Dmytro Povorotnyc explaines – as for the horrors of war, he and his fellow chaplains will be there in the most awful, yet crucial, moments. “We are there to care for our soldiers,” says the 52-year-old Ukrainian Orthodox deacon. “To bury our soldiers and to help families to grieve their sons and daughters. These are the responsibilities of a chaplain.”

By David Parsley Chief News Correspondent