In Transcarpathia, police detain cleric of Khust diocese of UOC “for evading mobilization”

On October 3, 2024, law enforcement agencies detained Deacon Volodymyr Petrovtsiy, a cleric of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He is accused of leaving the military unit without permission and evading mobilization. This was reported by the website Espresso.Zakhid.

“Deacon Volodymyr Petrovtsiy of the Diocese of Khust of the UOC-MP, who was previously put on the wanted list for desertion, was detained by law enforcement officers. This was reported by journalist Vitaliy Glagola on the evening of October 3. According to the journalist, Volodymyr Petrovtsiy, the nephew of Metropolitan Mark, escaped from a military unit and was hiding in Transcarpathia. On September 20, the State Bureau of Investigation served him with a notice of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 408 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — desertion. According to the court’s decision, he will be held in custody without the right to bail, the man faces up to 12 years in prison,” — the statement said.

As reported, on July 5, 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation and the police put on the wanted list a cleric of the Khust Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Archdeacon Vladimir Petrovtsiy, who was previously mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The cleric is accused of leaving the military unit to which he was assigned without permission.