Twenty-two wounded Ukrainian soldiers, carrying visible and invisible scars of war, found solace on a recent pilgrimage to the sacred monasteries of Mount Athos, a spiritual refuge in northern Greece.
Arriving from Lviv, Ukraine, after a grueling 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) journey, the soldiers sought respite from the lingering horrors of the battlefield in the serene sanctuaries of the Athos peninsula. Their visit, part of a psychological support program organized by Ukrainian authorities, took them to a dozen monasteries scattered across the slopes of this spiritual hub, revered since the 10th century.
"A lot of servicemen suffer from the events of the past three years," said Father Mykhailo Pasirskyi, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest who accompanied the group. "Many are wounded, and we need to rehabilitate them."
The soldiers’ journey comes amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and left many more wounded. Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 ignited Europe’s deadliest conflict in over seven decades. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, by the end of 2024, more than 43,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed, with 370,000 wounded.
Among the pilgrims was Ivan Kovalyk, a 22-year-old soldier who lost both legs in a September 2023 shelling. Despite his injuries, Kovalyk navigated the steep cobblestone paths and narrow staircases of the monasteries with determination. "Of course, it helped a lot," he said of the visit. "It helped me relieve stress."
The soldiers’ four-day pilgrimage included participation in religious services, communion in centuries-old chapels, and moments of reflection as they prayed for loved ones. Between prayers, they bonded over shared experiences, smoked, and captured the breathtaking views of the Aegean Sea from monastery balconies.
Mount Athos, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1988, maintains ancient Orthodox Christian traditions, including its men-only visitation policy. While the Russian Orthodox Church has historic ties to the region, and even hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2016, the Ukrainian soldiers visited exclusively Greek Orthodox monasteries, reflecting Greece’s support for Ukraine in the ongoing war.
For the soldiers, the visit was more than a physical journey; it was a step toward emotional and spiritual healing. "We already see that these five days spent on Athos will replace at least a year of rehabilitation in Ukraine," said Orest Kavetskyi, a Lviv official who helped organise the trip.
As the soldiers departed, they carried with them not just memories of Mount Athos but a renewed sense of peace and hope. "When I visited Athos, I felt God’s grace, God’s blessing, the greatness of Athos," said one of the pilgrims, reflecting the profound impact of the journey.
(Source: Reuters/Alexandros Avramidis)