The History of Memorial and Funeral Ministry in Military Chaplaincy during the Period of Sovereign Ukraine

Abstract

In the context of the protracted and exhausting Russo-Ukrainian war, the problem of dignified commemoration of fallen defenders has acquired unprecedented existential, social, and state-building significance. Military chaplaincy plays an indispensable role in shaping new commemorative practices, facilitating a complex historical transition from depersonalized post-Soviet traditions to a nationally and religiously oriented ritual framework. This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the historical evolution of memorial and funeral ministry in Ukrainian military chaplaincy from the restoration of independence to the current stage of full-scale war. The study examines the complex process of transformation in commemorative practices from post-Soviet secular traditions to the formation of an authentic national-religious ritual grounded in the archetypes of the Cossack era and the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. The article substantiates a periodization of the development of chaplaincy service, distinguishing the path from episodic volunteer initiatives to full state institutionalization following the adoption of the Law of Ukraine «On the Military Chaplaincy Service» in 2021. Particular attention is devoted to the role of the chaplain as a «facilitator of grief»and a guarantor of preserving the soldier’s human dignity, which constitutes a critical factor in sustaining the army’s fighting spirit and the moral and psychological resilience of society. The study also highlights the significance of such emblematic sites as the Hall of Remembrance of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the National Military Memorial Cemetery in the processes of decolonizing the culture of memory and sacralizing the sacrificial feat of the defenders. It is argued that contemporary memorial ministry functions as a powerful instrument for the social legitimization of military sacrifice and for the formation of a unified political nation through the shared experience of existential loss. Thus, the activity of chaplains ensures that the feat of the Ukrainian soldier will always retain a profound spiritual dimension, from which the nation will draw strength in its pursuit of Victory.