In Kharkiv, UOC Priest Detained by Military Enlistment Officers on His Way to Church Service

On August 2, 2025, officers of the Territorial Recruitment Center detained Archpriest Yurii Naboka, a cleric of the Ascension Church in Kharkiv. The priest was on his way to the Sunday evening vigil service when he was stopped by a patrol. This was reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ).

According to available information, Fr. Yurii was taken to Dnipro after the detention. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

It should also be recalled that a priest of the Kamianske Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Fr. Rostyslav Kalynovskyi, who was reportedly taken to a recruitment center under false pretenses, is currently in a training facility in Lviv region. According to his relatives, Fr. Rostyslav refused to take the military oath, after which he was forced to perform physical labor — digging trenches and sawing trees.