The Uman Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported that the rector of three churches had been detained by officers of the TCC

Representatives of the Uman Diocese reported that 52-year-old priest Nikolai Yevtushenko was forcibly detained by personnel from the Territorial Recruitment Center. The priest was stopped on the road and then taken to the territorial recruitment center, allegedly to verify his military registration information. This was reported by of the Union of Orthodox Journalists (SPZ).

The incident occurred on July 21, 2026, while Father Nikolai Yevtushenko was traveling to Uman. According to a statement from the priest’s family, police and Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) officers justified the detention by claiming that the clergyman was listed as wanted. Despite initial assurances that the priest would be released after undergoing a military medical examination, he is being held at the center without the right to private visits from his loved ones.

At present, the priest’s family is not allowed to see him, and his communication devices have been confiscated. It is known that Father Nikolai is undergoing medical treatment, and his relatives have been delivering medication and personal belongings to him through the duty officer at the TCC. According to the source, the military registration and enlistment office reported that representatives of the local military unit are conducting interviews with the detainee. Priest Nikolai Yevtushenko is the rector of two parishes of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church—the Church of the Holy Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki in the village of Tanskoye and the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian the Unmercenaries in the village of Dobrovody.

As a reminder, we previously reported that Archpriest Alexander Goncharuk, a cleric at the Zimne Monastery of the Dormition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was forcibly detained by representatives of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC).