Soldier who recorded a video in support of UOC forced to renounce the Church

Bogdan Grafov. Photo: Instagram bogdan_grafov

On December 15, 2022, Bogdan Grafov, who posted a video in defense of the UOC, published another video where he said that his fellow servicemen from the Brotherhood battalion forced him to renounce his Church.

Grafov posted the video on his Instagram page.

According to the military man, his colleagues beat him, but failed to bring him round. However, they forced him to leave the battalion and stop his military training.

“All of the above is a clear illustration of the absurdity and madness that can come to if you continue to whip up hatred for the Church, which has millions of parishioners,” Bogdan said. He added that not all parishioners of the UOC will treat with humility the growing "split in society", and the demonization of the Church will lead to "mass discontent and disagreement."

Why does our country need this? Why quarrel with a mass of people who could help us and often already help us achieve victory?” questions Bogdan. “It is necessary to identify real collaborators and act harshly against them in a war, while creating enemies out of nothing is stupid,” the young man summed up.

Bogdan calls himself "a patriot who volunteered to fight to defend our country, and an ideological nationalist." According to him, he does not hold a grudge against his former comrades-in-arms from the Brotherhood, but “Russia, your wicked president, the sins of your satanist-patriarch and all who serve the regime are to blame for everything that happens to the Church, to me in particular, and for the afflictions of all Ukrainians." 

Recall that Bogdan Grafov said in his video that demonization of the Church is the path to internal hostility.

As the UOJ wrote, the believer told the haters of the UOC that they are destroying Ukraine, while her relatives are fighting.

Read also

UOJ Opens Branch in the Czech Republic

The Union of Orthodox Journalists in the EU continue to expand their presence

Lazarus Saturday in the Bethany Community of the Resurrection of Christ

Celebration of the Patronal Feast in the Holy Land

Mount Athos Requests Opt-out for Government Issued Personal Identification Number

As the Athonite Fathers emphasize, the Personal Identification Number raises reasonable concerns both for themselves and for a large part of society.

Rector in Stanivtsi: We would have died of despair if we were not believers

After their church was seized, the faithful of the community gathered for Palm Sunday prayers in a small chapel belonging to the parish.

Paschal Message of Met. Tikhon (Mollard) of the OCA

Archpastoral Message of His Beatitude Metropolitan Tikhon—Pascha 2025

Ukrainian Soldier to OCU raider Hryshchuk: Instead of raiding, Come to the Front

A serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) called on Hryshchuk to stop provoking believers and seizing churches, and to go to the front—"we'll find you something to do."