Ukrainians training in Norfolk with the British Army prayed for a just peace as part of a church service on the third anniversary of the invasion of their country.
They lit candles and listened to an address by a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, who also led prayers with British and Australian army chaplains. These included the haunting Orthodox prayer for the dead intoned by the Orthodox priest. The service was held in English and Ukrainian with musical laments played by a lone piper of the Irish Guards.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, addressed the congregation and gave the final blessing. He said: “It was a profoundly moving service, with Ukrainians on a five-week course with the British Army to become soldiers. On this third anniversary of enemy aggression, I gave each a holding cross as we prayed for the departed and a just peace. To see the loss and deep concern in their eyes is something I will not forget. Nor the forceful and resolute response when I said, ‘Salve Ukraine’.”
The congregation was welcomed by Lt Col Irwin Clark of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards who is in command of a multinational unit training soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
More than 51,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on UK soil since June 2022. The UK is supported by 13 partner nations including Australia, New Zealand and Canada, to deliver the training, with international allies deployed to British Army training camps for up to six months at a time. The training includes life-saving battlefield first-aid skills, and learning about leadership and the law of armed conflict.
