In the Cherkasy region, the rector of a Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) parish defected to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) amid pressure from the Territorial Church Council (TCC)

Archimandrite Epiphanius (Rudenko), rector of the Intercession Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the village of Khmelna, changed his jurisdiction and joined the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The decision to switch was made by the clergyman immediately after his detention by employees of the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC).

According to information published at on the “First Cossack” Telegram channel, the archimandrite was forced to agree to join Epiphany Dumenko’s structure in exchange for his release from the TCC. Although the Cherkasy Diocese of the OCU officially characterized this event as a voluntary choice by the community, in church circles, what happened is being called a “great tragedy,” emphasizing that the priest’s decision was not a matter of choice.

As a reminder, we previously reported that a high-profile incident occurred in Lutsk involving the forced mobilization of a clergyman of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) by employees of the local Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC).