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ID: PDeA3doX/pol/512612587#512615273
8/9/2025, 4:08:21 PM
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1954066869553373470
I would like to share with you the story of the only chaplain of Azovstal, who spent three years in Russian captivity. Warning: this is a painful read. But this is the reality of what Ukrainian Defenders endure in Russian prisons.
Vasyl Fedorenko is an officer of the 23rd Marine Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Years ago, Vasyl was diagnosed with a tumor in his thigh, and he sought healing through faith. At the age of 47, he decided to become a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, combining military service with spiritual service.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vasyl was in Mariupol. He was asked to take on the role of a field chaplain for a Ukrainian unit.
"A priest must not shed blood, but defending your country is no sin. We must defend ourselves because they deny our very right to exist. How could I not take up arms? A certain sector of the defense depended on me too - and I did my part," the chaplain said.
"I never met an unbeliever at war. Every morning and evening, we prayed together using my prayer book. People asked for it - they needed it. It gave us strength," Vasyl told.
In May, the Defenders received the order to surrender.
The barracks where the border guards were held were extremely cramped. Some lay on the floor, on pallets, mats, or pieces of cloth. Vasyl often heard the screams of other prisoners being tortured.
In October 2022, he was transferred to Detention Center No. 2 in Kamyshin, Russia's Volgograd region. The Russian military police there spoke to prisoners with constant profanity and beat them with batons for the slightest movement. Ukrainian Defenders with patriotic tattoos had their limbs crushed, and wooden planks were broken over their knees. But what lay ahead was even worse.
>part 1 of 3
I would like to share with you the story of the only chaplain of Azovstal, who spent three years in Russian captivity. Warning: this is a painful read. But this is the reality of what Ukrainian Defenders endure in Russian prisons.
Vasyl Fedorenko is an officer of the 23rd Marine Guard Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Years ago, Vasyl was diagnosed with a tumor in his thigh, and he sought healing through faith. At the age of 47, he decided to become a priest of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, combining military service with spiritual service.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Vasyl was in Mariupol. He was asked to take on the role of a field chaplain for a Ukrainian unit.
"A priest must not shed blood, but defending your country is no sin. We must defend ourselves because they deny our very right to exist. How could I not take up arms? A certain sector of the defense depended on me too - and I did my part," the chaplain said.
"I never met an unbeliever at war. Every morning and evening, we prayed together using my prayer book. People asked for it - they needed it. It gave us strength," Vasyl told.
In May, the Defenders received the order to surrender.
The barracks where the border guards were held were extremely cramped. Some lay on the floor, on pallets, mats, or pieces of cloth. Vasyl often heard the screams of other prisoners being tortured.
In October 2022, he was transferred to Detention Center No. 2 in Kamyshin, Russia's Volgograd region. The Russian military police there spoke to prisoners with constant profanity and beat them with batons for the slightest movement. Ukrainian Defenders with patriotic tattoos had their limbs crushed, and wooden planks were broken over their knees. But what lay ahead was even worse.
>part 1 of 3
Page 1