Nicolas Tonev (special envoy to the Kramatorsk region), edited by Gauthier Delomez
In the Kramatorsk region, Ukrainian soldiers take part in services given in small houses by clerics, in order to boost the morale of the troops in the conflict against Russia. The special envoy of Europe 1 attended one of them, in which seven men came to meditate.
In an extremely difficult conflict, the morale of the soldiers becomes a key element. Each unit of the Ukrainian army has a “chaplain”, a priest who goes from camp to camp for services provided in the small houses where the soldiers live. Ceremonies are short, and soldiers participate in small groups for security reasons. In the Kramatorsk region, the special envoy of Europe 1 was able to attend one of his offices of the 95th assault brigade, the one which took over Izioum from the Russian forces.
Do not forget the Ukrainian soldiers who died at the front
The service begins, Father Mykola makes the trellis disappear under his religious dress. The incense vapors, the smoke and the candles held by the seven soldiers present perfume the small room. The men pray, and the father preaches. “Dear brothers, you have your problems. Machines broken down, injuries too… I understand all that, but let’s not forget our brothers who died at the front. We have no right to forget them.”
Mass in the small cantonment of the 95th brigade.
Credits: Nicolas Tonev/Europe1
The elite soldiers of the 95th Assault Brigade are tough: if they have taken over Izioum, they are still men. “When you are terrified, in the first place, you call, or your mother for help, or God”, said one of them at the microphone of Europe 1. “I experienced arrivals several times, I stayed by living by praying”, he continues. “We all thought about prayer,” says another member of the brigade. “Here, an atheist becomes a believer”.
On the way, a tank is waiting. He was taken from the Russians, and Father Mykola blesses him to protect him from his former masters.