In the Vinnytsia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a priest suspected of aiding "deviants" has been suspended from ministry

The Vinnytsia Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) has officially announced a temporary suspension from the priesthood for one of the diocese’s clergy members. This decision was made amid an ongoing pretrial investigation into allegations of aiding and abetting evasion of military mobilization, according to a statement from the Vinnytsia Diocese of the UOC.

According to law enforcement authorities, the clergyman was detained by officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). He is suspected of receiving $14,000 in exchange for a promise to influence officials at the regional recruitment center in order to exempt a person subject to military service from mobilization. Currently, the court has ordered his detention as a pretrial measure, though the possibility of bail has been provided for.

The press office of the Vinnytsia Diocese emphasized that the ban on holding religious services is a temporary measure and will remain in effect until all legal proceedings are concluded. The diocesan administration reiterated the presumption of innocence enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and called on the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions until an official court verdict is handed down.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Ivano-Frankivsk City Court had ordered the arrest of Kirill Mykhailiuk, head of the Uzhhorod-Khust Diocese of the OCU, who is suspected of organizing a large-scale scheme to issue fake certificates of ordination as deacons, which allowed men subject to military service to evade mobilization. The defendant has been ordered to be held in custody for 60 days, with the possibility of bail.