"Beaten and forced to join OCU": media report details of UOC priest's stay in Ternopil region's military commissariat

Archpriest Oleg Melnik, a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who was detained by the staff of the territorial recruitment center in Ternopil region, was subjected to physical and psychological pressure and persuaded to join the OCU. As a result of several days in the military commissariat of Chortkiv, Ternopil region, the clergyman broke a rib during the beating and then was released home. This is reported by the UOJ.

“The priest was invited to the TRC under the pretext of clarifying the data, since the “Reserve+” application did not display information about the passage of the military medical commission (MMC). Father Oleg told the UOJ that he voluntarily went with the military commissariats, confident that all his documents were in order. At the Military Medical Commission, he was offered to serve in the rear, since he has a specialized education as a signalman, but the priest emphasized that he is a minister of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. During the conversation, the paramedic offered him to move to the OCU to continue his ministry as a chaplain, to which Father Oleg replied: “I will not join the OCU under the threat of execution.” Then, according to him, the TRC tried to take away his phone and also took away his priest’s certificate. The priest was not given food for about a day, which caused his blood pressure to rise. Arriving doctors took him to the hospital, but after providing first aid, he was returned to the TRC. There, the pressure on Father Oleg increased – they began to insult him and then beat him. Now Archpriest Oleg Melnik is at home, but he has a broken rib,” the UOJ reported.

On November 2, 2024, in the Ternopil region, employees of the territorial recruitment center detained and took to the military commissariat a 55-year-old Archpriest of the UOC Oleg Melnik. The priest was demanded to join the Armed Forces of Ukraine, exerting physical and psychological pressure on him.