Chaplains in the Armed Forces are sought even through job search sites

In the Armed Forces of Ukraine, an acute shortage of military chaplains leads to the fact that candidates for vacant positions are sought through job search sites. For example, the well-known Ukrainian platform Work.ua has 51 chaplaincy vacancies with salaries ranging from 15 to 100 thousand hryvnias. One of the few conditions is that you do not belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This was reported in the media.

It is reported that as of June 9, 51 offers from military units and the Recruitment Center of the Ukrainian Army to fill the positions of military chaplains and their assistants were posted on the job search resource Work.ua. Salaries range from 15 thousand UAH to more than 100 thousand UAH per month. But there is a nuance: the army wants to see chaplains with more than a year of experience as a clergyman and a higher theological education. There is also a strict requirement that a candidate for chaplain must not have any ties to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience (DESS) published a list of legal entities — religious organizations that are critical for the functioning of the economy and ensuring the livelihood of the population in a special period. These are the institutions whose leaders and employees will be exempt from mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the duration of martial law. It is noteworthy that the list completely excludes religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which automatically puts the clergy of the UOC, who have no official grounds for deferring military service, at risk of forced mobilization.