Mikhail Pavenko, a Ukrainian American from Vancouver, Washington, left his wife and two young children on October 29 and flew to Poland. He was heading to Ukraine for his tenth two-week rotation as a military chaplain since Russia launched its full-scale invasion. He says he has never felt fear like he feels in Ukraine. Pavenko, 39, repairs power lines for a living.
Ministry Under Fire
At the front, Pavenko works long days. He ministers to soldiers, helps with evacuations, treats the wounded, and delivers supplies. He sleeps in abandoned homes or in bunkers with Ukrainian troops.
He says Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones frighten chaplains and soldiers most. These remotely piloted drones can reach about 90 miles per hour and carry warheads strong enough to disable a tank.
In April 2025, Pavenko and two other chaplains pulled into a driveway in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Region. A drone circled above them. The men scattered. A military truck then approached, and the drone dived into the ground about 15 feet in front of it. Pavenko believes a jammer on the chaplains' pickup disrupted the drone's signal. He credits God and the equipment for saving lives that day.
A Growing Shortage
Ukraine has more than 400 military chaplains for an estimated 800,000 troops. About 700 volunteer chaplains help, along with volunteers from other countries. Even so, Ukraine is roughly 40 percent short of the number it needs.
Oleksandr Vovkotecha leads the Military Chaplaincy Service of Ukraine's Armed Forces. He says chaplains help soldiers by staying close to them and giving them space to share their struggles. Denis Gorenkov, an evangelical chaplain, was once with a fellow chaplain who was wounded by a drone's explosive device.
What Comes Next
Chaplains say many soldiers are struggling with low morale after nearly five years of war. Pavenko plans to keep returning to the front. Gorenkov says spiritual conversations come only after a long time of listening, and that chaplains need "a lot of love and a few cigars."
