Cleric of the Kamensk Diocese of the UOC subjected to psychological pressure to force military service

A priest of the Kamensk Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Fr. Rostyslav Kalynovskyi, is being forced by employees of the territorial recruitment center to serve in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists, citing the clergyman’s family.

According to them, Fr. Rostyslav was detained by military officers on June 19, 2025. Without any explanation, he was sent to a military medical commission and then transferred to the Pyatykhatky recruitment center. The next day, June 20, the priest was taken to several military units, all of which refused to accept him. Two days later, he was released, but on June 24 he was again taken to the recruitment center under the pretext of document coordination.

The priest’s family, now in a desperate situation, is asking for help. His mother and wife, both disabled (Group III), have been left without any support. Meanwhile, Fr. Rostyslav’s brother is already serving at the front.

As of June 25, it became known that the priest was forced to change into military uniform and is being pressured to sign a contract for armed service. According to his mother, he is under intense psychological pressure.

“I ask for prayers so that Father Rostyslav can withstand this pressure and not be broken,” his mother appeals.

It should be noted that the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (SSEFC) has effectively created a legal conflict to restrict the ability of clergy from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to receive deferrals from mobilization. The official rules for requesting deferment include two mutually contradictory provisions, specifically targeting the UOC, making it impossible for the Church’s clergy to obtain exemption from compulsory military service.