The Greek ecclesiastical publication Romfea drew attention to the forced mobilization of UOC clerics

The popular Greek ecclesiastical publication Romfea published an article in which it focused on the illegal forced mobilization of clergymen of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The publication notes that despite the existence of legislative norms providing for exemptions or alternative forms of service for clergy, employees of territorial manning centers (TMC) continue the practice of forcible recruitment of priests for military service, which is of serious concern to human rights activists.

As Romfea.gr reports, the incidents are systemic and are often accompanied by human rights violations. In particular, on Sunday, May 1, 2026, Archimandrite Theophilus (Kosovenko), a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, was detained in Kiev. TCC officers stopped the clergyman on Lesya Ukrainka Boulevard when he was on his way to visit a parishioner to provide spiritual support.

Another high-profile case occurred in Zhytomyr region, in the village of Novye Vorobyi. During the detention of a priest from the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, law enforcement officers and military enlistment officers used excessive physical force and pepper spray. According to eyewitnesses, it took the clergyman several hours to regain consciousness after the use of special means. Such methods cause outrage among believers and local communities, who regard it as an insult to religious feelings.

According to the publication, the current practice of forcible conscription of clergy contradicts the current legislation, which is supposed to protect priests from participating in combat operations as combatants. “Forcibly turning clergy into soldiers without respect for their status and legitimate grounds for release calls into question the observance of the rule of law in the country,” the authors note. Believers emphasize that such actions not only deprive parishes of spiritual leadership, but also conducted in a humiliating form that undermines the authority of religious institutions.

We shall remind you that on April 27, 2026 in Chernivtsi after a mass protest of the believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite Sergiy, a resident of the Banchen Monastery, who had been previously detained by the staff of the territorial center of acquisition (TCC), was released. The clergyman was released thanks to the intervention of the hierarch of the UOC, Metropolitan Longin (Zhar) of Banchensk. The bishop brought the archimandrite’s adopted son, who is under guardianship due to a severe disability, under the walls of the TCC.