TCC employees attacked Metropolitan Volodymyr-Volynsky and Kovelsky Volodymyr

An incident involving employees of the Territorial Manning Center (TMC) and representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church took place on the Rivne-Lutsk highway near the village of Derno. During the conflict at the mobile checkpoint, Metropolitan Volodymyr-Volynskyi and Kovel Volodymyr and Archpriest Alexander Kobenko were injured.

According to the Vladimir-Volynsk diocese of the UOC, the car in which the clergymen were, was stopped for inspection. According to eyewitnesses, the officers of the TCC without prior verification of documents began to forcefully pull the Metropolitan out of the vehicle. When Archpriest Alexander Kobenko tried to defend the Metropolitan, the TCC representatives used pepper spray on him, put him on his knees and gave him several blows in the chest area.

The diocese notes that both clergymen were dragged into the official vehicle of the TCC. At the same time, police officers who were at the roadblock did not intervene in the incident and remained passive observers. As a result of the incident and the stress suffered, Metropolitan Vladimir had a heart attack, and Father Alexander had an acute allergic reaction to the gas from the spray can.

Realizing the severity of the condition of the victims, the TCC employees dropped off the clergymen ten meters from the roadblock and left the scene with the police. At the moment, the health of Metropolitan Vladimir and Archpriest Alexander has stabilized. Vladyka Volodymyr urged the clergy of the UOC to exercise maximum vigilance and caution when traveling.

Recall, earlier we reported that the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Volodymyr-Volynsky and Kovel Volodymyr Melnyk was recognized unfit for military service according to the results of the military medical commission. In connection with this decision, made on the basis of the clergyman’s health condition, he will be excluded from military registration.