‘In the trenches, there are no atheists’

Ukrainians who fought in Donetsk and Kharkiv carry visible scars of war and deep psychological trauma. They arrived at Mount Athos seeking moments of reflection and peace. Kathimerini was there to witness their pilgrimage of healing.

He stood silently for a moment, leaning on his metal crutches before the icon of the Virgin Mary. Then, with reverence, he placed his crutches down, as a soldier would lay down his weapon, and lay face down to pray. He did not kneel, as is customary among the faithful, because he was missing one leg – he had been severely injured in a trench somewhere in eastern Ukraine. With effort, he rose, kissed the icon, whispered something only the Virgin Mary could hear, and then his comrades took their turns, one by one.

Roman was one of 24 Ukrainian veterans of the war with Russia, all suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, who had traveled to Mount Athos, a sacred sanctuary of solace, to pray for the salvation of their souls. His life changed dramatically from that day in 2015 when, during a battle near Donetsk, he was wounded, and doctors had to amputate his leg above the knee. “At the beginning, it was difficult, but gradually I got used to it, and now I try to live normally,” he told us. 

Leaving the hospital with one leg, he faced an uphill struggle. He had gone off to defend his country in full health, only to return physically and emotionally scarred. At times, in his despair, he thought, “It would have been better if I had died.” He joined a psychological support program, which he says helped him, and he also sought a way out of his tunnel of depression through sports.

“I train almost daily, and I go mountain climbing – I even climbed the Carpathian Mountains on crutches. Sports have helped me a lot; they calm me down.” To prove his point, he mentioned that the day before, he had hiked unaided, with one leg, along the challenging path from the Monastery of Agios Dionysios to the Monastery of Agios Pavlos on the Athos peninsula, a one-hour journey difficult even for those without disabilities.

When asked if his comrades faced similar problems, he replied that many struggle psychologically. “Insomnia, nightmares, feelings of guilt plague many who went to war.” Young men who survived the bloody battles in Donetsk, Kharkiv and Mariupol returned home alive yet with “shattered souls,” and traveled to Athos, accompanied by three military chaplains. They sought refuge in the sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin, seeking “salvation of the soul.” “O Mother of the Word, and Virgin, from ordeals and afflictions deliver me…”

Stavros Tzimas, November 19, 2024

Adapted from www.ekathimerini.com