UOC Clergy Illegally Detained by Ukrainian Recruitment Officers
Faithful call for prayers as two Chernivtsi-Bukovina clerics moved across country.
BUKOVINA — Officers of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) have illegally detained two clergymen of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, according to the Facebook page "Faithful of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the UOC."
“TRC officers took two clerics of the Chernivtsi-Bukovina Diocese of the UOC: priest Fedir Hnitytsky and deacon Ivan Dmytruk. For several days now, the clerics have been transported around Ukraine. We ask everyone to intensify their prayers for them,” the post stated.
The report comes amid other alleged cases of unlawful mobilization targeting UOC clergy. In Kharkiv, TRC officers reportedly tried to illegally conscript two brothers — Fr. Serhiy Kyt and Fr. Vitaliy — despite their having valid deferments. According to the community of the Holy Martyr Alexander of Kharkiv Church, the priests were lured to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) for questioning and detained upon leaving the building.
Previously, UOJ reported that Met. Longin of the UOC denounced the forced mobilization of clergymen into the ongoing conflict, asserting that authorities lack the right to conscript priests.
