KHARKIV: Chaplain Mykola Bagirov placed pieces of consecrated bread on an altar set up behind a camouflage net in a forest in northeastern Ukraine, several dozen kilometers from the front.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian soldiers lined up around him, emerging from the rows of surrounding pine trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear brothers and sisters, the liturgy will last about three hours. If anyone gets hungry and eats a bit of sausage, just make sure I don\u2019t see you!\u201d Bagirov said, nodding at food piled on a table.<\/p>\n
Luckily for those gathered, the early morning service lasted about an hour.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old Greek Catholic priest, with close-shaven auburn hair, always brought jokes and food when addressing military crowds \u2014 a trick he learned helps win over a sometimes-difficult audience.<\/p>\n
Like hundreds of clerics who attached themselves to military units after Russia invaded in February 2022, Bagirov confronts the daily challenge of spreading the faith in the middle of Europe\u2019s deadliest conflict since World War II.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one had studied for this, no one was ready. I never thought I\u2019d be wearing one uniform and the other. It was very difficult at first: I didn\u2019t know how to approach people, how to choose my words, or even where to go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Now preaching in the northeastern Kharkiv region with the 33rd separate mechanized brigade, Bagirov is over 1,000 kilometers from his home in the Carpathian mountains.<\/p>\n
He grew up in the Greek Catholic community that Soviet authorities had banned, like all other religions.<\/p>\n
Greek Catholic believers recognize the authority of the pope but perform Eastern rites, like most Orthodox churches.<\/p>\n
Covert services used to be held in people\u2019s houses, a tradition that endured after the Soviet Union fell.<\/p>\n
For a young Bagirov, it cloaked religion with an aura of mystery.<\/p>\n
He was particularly impressed by the priests who returned from the Gulag prison camps with their belief intact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was a serious experience of faith, and this is probably the force driving me,\u201d he told AFP.<\/p>\n
– \u2018Don\u2019t want to bury anyone else\u2019 –<\/p>\n
Some 70 percent of Ukrainians describe themselves as believers. Most are Orthodox, but around 12 percent are Greek Catholic, according to the Razumkov Center pollster.<\/p>\n
When Russia invaded in 2022, it did not take long for the first bodies of fallen soldiers to start being sent back to Bagirov\u2019s parish.<\/p>\n
The church was staging funeral after funeral, he recalled.<\/p>\n
He decided to enlist with the military chaplaincy when a ceremonial gun salute during one farewell ceremony scared the daughters of a killed soldier.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese girls got scared and pressed themselves against their mother, while their father was lying there dead. When I saw that scene, when I saw how frightened they were, I thought: that\u2019s it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to bury anyone else. I\u2019d rather be here with the guys, to laugh with them, talk to them, see them alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Around 1,700 people from 13 different religious organizations are part of Ukraine\u2019s army chaplaincy service.<\/p>\n
Bagirov quickly learned his duties went beyond spiritual guidance.<\/p>\n
People turn to him for practical help \u2014 to see a doctor, solve legal or financial issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt first I knew nothing!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In one instance, a soldier was anxious that his mother, living alone, could not fix her broken heating pipes.<\/p>\n
Bagirov called a local chaplain, who in turn contacted the town\u2019s mayor, who accompanied plumbers to fix the problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cSoldiers know that we care not only for them but also for their mother, brother or sisters back home,\u201d Bagirov said.<\/p>\n
– \u2018They hate God\u2019 –<\/p>\n
Across the frontline, the grief of war \u2014 tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians killed \u2014 has strained belief among Ukraine\u2019s fighters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey hate God inside because their brother-in-arms was killed,\u201d Bagirov told AFP.<\/p>\n
He suggests honesty.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should tell God the truth. I always think arguments with God can even make for a better prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier in the war, he used to drive to the front to comfort soldiers.<\/p>\n
But as drones have infested the skies above the battlefield, he now stays further behind \u2014 running services online and holding phone calls with soldiers.<\/p>\n
Before new troops head out on a rotation, Bagirov usually tries to see them, encouraging them to pray.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they return from combat positions, they are the ones telling me about God. It\u2019s the other way round.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
KHARKIV: Chaplain Mykola Bagirov placed pieces of consecrated bread on an altar set up behind a camouflage net in a forest in northeastern Ukraine, several dozen kilometers from the front. Ukrainian soldiers lined up around him, emerging from the rows of surrounding pine trees. \u201cDear brothers and sisters, the liturgy will last about three hours. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":97059,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-97040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97040"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97060,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97040\/revisions\/97060"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}