A brainwave that occurred to 65-year-old former Harrier pilot Andy Dakin while out walking his dog has led to almost 10,000 Bibles being given to Ukrainian military being trained in the UK.
Gulf War veteran Dakin is the Executive Director of the Naval & Military Bible Society (NMBS), which has been providing Bibles to the British armed forces since 1779. When it became apparent that the Ukraine conflict would not end as quickly as some initially predicted, the NMBS decided to offer spiritual support to Ukraine’s frontline combatants in the form of Bibles in their own language.
The initial idea was to have them printed in Ukraine, with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence delivering them to the front line. This had two problems. The first was that print costs in other Eastern European countries may be significantly less than in Ukraine, but deliveries from there could prove difficult. Secondly, it was hard to establish a specific contact within the Ukrainian military who could approve the design of a military Bible and understand the logistical processes involved.
The solution occurred to Dakin as he walked his dog near a military training area and came across a Ukrainian contingent being trained by UK military personnel. Ministry of Defence figures reveal that 30,000 Ukrainian recruits have already been trained in the UK since June 2022. Delivered on military bases across the UK, the Op Interflex programme takes volunteer Ukrainian recruits, with little to no military experience, and teaches them the skills required for frontline combat. This allows Ukraine’s forces to accelerate their deployments, rebuild their forces, and scale up their resistance as they continue to defend their country after Russia invaded over two years ago.
NMBS then explored whether Bibles could be distributed through the Op Interflex chaplaincy team, which obtained clearance for Bibles to be placed both at the reception centre for Ukrainian recruits and at their various training centres. The chaplains also offer Bibles to individual servicemen as they develop friendships with them. Most who accept the Scriptures are unbelievers, although some are from a nominally Orthodox background. The project was funded through a grant from a trust that wishes to remain anonymous, but was keen to support the spiritual needs of Ukrainian military personnel. The initial stock of 10,000 Bibles is close to being exhausted and a new print run is needed, so the NMBS is now actively seeking funding to make it happen.
