"Troublesome" relatives to be handed over to enlistment offices: position of OCU cleric

A cleric of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, blogger Oleksiy Filyuk, stated that turning in one’s relatives to Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRCs) is not a sin and can be seen as an act for the benefit of the state. The video with his comments was published by the channel «Pershyi Kozatskyi».

«If there are no small children under one’s care, not disabled — then it’s allowed… No need to send them to prison or the basement — to the TRC, to serve, that’s acceptable,» said Filyuk, explaining that such a decision could be morally justified.

In his view, if a relative is «causing trouble» in the family, it might be an opportunity for atonement: «Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. And if someone is very troublesome, they need to be brought to reason.» Such a person, the cleric believes, can atone for their guilt even at the cost of their own life on the front lines.

It should also be recalled that the head of the OCU, Epiphanius Dumenko, previously stated that, in his view, reconciliation between Ukraine and Russia is only possible after the Russian Federation is defeated in the war and acknowledges its guilt. He made the statement on the Day of Remembrance for the victims of World War II.