Ryazan, March 26, 2013
Paratrooper priests in training.
During military exercises the clerics are also expected to bring down with them on a parachute a portable church kit, which they will assemble on the landing ground.
At the moment, eight Orthodox chaplains are serving at military units of the Russian Airborne Troops. There are masters of airborne training among them: Father Sergy (Arkhipov) has made over 600 parachute jumps, and Priest Savva Shcherbin has made over 450 parachute jumps. Such training is systematic and held annually.
