Army Russia wants to have 'armor priests' also run a tank

moscow - Russian Orthodox priests who work as spiritual counselors for the Russian forces should not only serve the spiritual life of the military. They must also be able to handle armored vehicles and other military vehicles in emergency situations and to be able to handle military communication equipment well. This has been decided by the Russian army, reported The Moscow Times.

Approximately thirty military clergymen or chaplains will therefore join Omsk in this week on exercise with infantry units equipped with armored vehicles of the BMD-4 type. These are armored cars designed for carrying infantrymen. The idea is that the priest will not only be able to assist injured soldiers, for example, but will also be able to go to medical help behind the lines.

Russian orthodox church has said that it is not the intention that the priests learn to fight.

About half of the 147 million Russians consider themselves Russian orthodox, but only a small percentage actually confesses them, for example through church visits.