- October 15, 2025
- 3:25 pm
- Ukraine
On October 13, 2025, the United Jewish Community of Ukraine reported that Junior Lieutenant Rabbi Yakov Sinyakov (Yakov Pinchas) was appointed head of the chaplaincy service of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine.
Sinyakov is the first Orthodox Jewish chaplain in the structure of the Ukrainian defense forces. Before officially joining the service, he regularly traveled to the front line as a volunteer, was associated with the Federation of Jewish Communities, and engaged in humanitarian support and spiritual accompaniment of military personnel.
Yakov Sinyakov, awarded the distinction of the President of Ukraine “For the Defense of Ukraine,” has been regularly visiting the front since 2022, providing spiritual support, psychological assistance, and humanitarian aid from patrons to the fighters. His work with the fighters of the 7th Corps, an elite unit created in 2024, focuses on strengthening morale through prayers, conversations, and practical support at training grounds, hospitals, and rest points.
Tasks of the Chaplaincy Service in the 7th Corps
The appointment covers the organization of spiritual and moral-psychological support for the personnel of the 7th Corps: accompanying warriors at permanent deployment points and training grounds, participating in hospital work, coordinating volunteer initiatives, and supporting the families of military personnel.
The functionality of the chaplaincy service includes individual conversations, mutual support groups, interaction with military psychologists, conducting religious rites at the request of servicemen of different faiths, as well as logistics of humanitarian aid for units and hospitals.
Context: Development of Military Chaplaincy
The chaplaincy system in Ukraine has been expanding since 2022: the number of regular chaplains is growing, interaction with volunteer and religious communities is strengthening, and specialized positions are appearing in combat and rear units. Sinyakov’s appointment to the 7th Corps reflects the institutionalization of practices that were previously mainly supported by volunteers and individual liaison officers with religious organizations.
Who is Yakov Sinyakov
The chaplain emphasizes that faith in God and the unity of the Ukrainian people are the foundation of his mission. He strives to provide each fighter with spiritual resilience so that order in the soul is reflected in their actions. Sinyakov compares chaplaincy to existential psychology, supporting warriors in crisis situations and at all stages of service.
Yakov Sinyakov (Yakov Pinchas) is a Ukrainian rabbi, a long-time member of the Jewish community of Dnipro, and an official chaplain of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine. He holds a rabbinical title and has extensive experience in spiritual service, which he combines with active volunteer work.
In the summer of 2025, he signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, joining the army as a military chaplain. During the same period, the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience of Ukraine officially issued him a document confirming the right to conduct chaplaincy activities in the armed forces.
This status allowed Sinyakov to legally and systematically provide military personnel with spiritual, moral, and social support in accordance with state standards. He himself admitted that he had long dreamed of serving in the Ukrainian army, and he chose the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces because its fighters serve on the hottest sections of the front.
Today, Rabbi Yakov Sinyakov has become one of the symbols of the new wave of military chaplaincy, where spiritual strength unites religious traditions, patriotism, and humanity even in the midst of war.
What is the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine
The 7th Rapid Response Corps is a new formation of the Air Assault Forces of Ukraine, created in January 2024. Its headquarters is located in the east of the country, and its main tasks are immediate response to threats and strengthening the defense of the Donbas direction.
The corps includes combat units of the 25th, 77th, 79th, and 81st airborne brigades, as well as a new artillery and drone brigade. The corps is commanded by Colonel Yevhen Lasiychuk, who previously headed the 25th Airborne Brigade.
The 7th Corps became the first unit of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces where chaplaincy services of different faiths, including Jewish, officially operate.
