Volyn TCC presented its version of the incident with Metropolitan Volodymyr-Volyn and Kovel Volodymyr

The Volyn regional Territorial Center for Recruitment (TCC) has officially commented on the high-profile incident involving Metropolitan Volodymyr and clergy of the Volodymyr-Volyn diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that took place at a mobile checkpoint. Representatives of the agency deny the fact of beating the clergy and insist on the legitimacy of the use of special means during the document check.

According to the information portal Zaxid.net with reference to the data of the press secretary of the Volyn TCC Ulyana Kravchuk, the conflict occurred on May 7, 2026 in the village of Derno, Lutsk district. According to the version of the military, Metropolitan Volodymyr and Deacon Dmytro Manetsky allegedly refused to present the necessary military registration documents. The agency claims that Archpriest Oleksandr Kobenko began to offer “verbal and physical resistance”, which forced the officers to use tear gas.

According to the TCC statement, after the incident, the clergymen did provide documents in the service transportation. A check showed that one of them was excluded from military registration and the other was eligible for deferment, after which they were released. The TCC emphasizes that the information about bodily injuries to priests by servicemen or police has not been confirmed.

At the same time, the Vladimir-Volyn diocese of the UOC earlier presented a different version of events. According to the diocese, the TCC officers started using force even before the documents were checked. As a result of the incident, Metropolitan Volodymyr had a heart attack, and Archpriest Kobenko had an acute allergic reaction to gas. This case joins a number of incidents involving the detention of UOC clergy, which have been recorded in Ukraine since 2024.