Military chaplains undergo training both in Ukraine and abroad

Training for military chaplains is conducted at the Chaplain Training Center of the Postgraduate Education Faculty of the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as well as at military training centers in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Colonel Oleksandr Vovkotecha, head of the Chaplain Service of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said this at a briefing at Ukrinform titled "Military Chaplaincy in the Current Conditions of War."

"The training of officers within the military chaplaincy structure is carried out in two areas – in Ukraine and abroad. In Ukraine, it takes place at the Chaplain Training Center of the Military Institute of Taras Shevchenko National University. The program consists of two modules: a general military module and a specialized professional module. From 2023 to 2024, the Center trained 236 military chaplains. For 2025, four eight-week training courses are planned, and preparation for them is already underway," Vovkotecha said.

He added that to enhance the professional qualifications of the chaplain service, training abroad has been organized. In particular, Ukrainian chaplains undergo courses alongside American and British counterparts in Germany and the United Kingdom.

"During 2023-2024, 162 chaplains completed these courses. Additionally, 76 chaplains have undergone training in 2025," Vovkotecha said.

According to him, the Chaplain Training Center of the Military Institute has also developed and launched a program for assistant chaplains, which includes professional and psychological training modules.

In 2024, 59 assistant chaplains were trained, and another 60 are scheduled for training in 2025.

Formal chaplain service in the Ukrainian Armed Forces was established in 2021, although chaplaincy activities began as early as 2014, at the outset of Russia's aggression in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.

The Day of the Military Chaplain is traditionally observed on October 12 in honor of Saint Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours – regarded as the founder and patron saint of military chaplaincy.

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