"Not a sin, but a work": OCU cleric praises the work of the TRC and faces criticism

The notorious blogger and cleric of the OCU Alexei Filyuk provoked a public outcry with his statement that the work of employees of territorial recruitment centers (TRCs) to mobilize citizens is not a sin.

on October 18, 2025, in his video address, Alexey Filyuk answered a question from a TRC employee who was forced to «catch people around the city.» According to the blogger, performing such duties is a normal job. «If a person has been mobilized, he or she has official duties to work in the recruitment department, in territorial centers, so what is the sin here? The person is working, fulfilling his duties,» said Mr. Filyuk. He compared this activity to the work of a shop assistant, emphasizing that «there is no sin in it.»

Filyuk also commented on the situation with mobilization evaders in an interview with Ternopil 1 TV channel. He noted that it is the duty of every citizen to defend the homeland. «Hiding is not normal,» the OCU cleric emphasized.

However, shortly after its publication, the video message was removed from Filyuk’s Instagram page. Although no official reasons were given, it was most likely due to numerous critical comments from users.

Earlier, Oleksiy Filyuk stated that «handing over» relatives to territorial recruitment centers (TRCs) is not a sin and can be considered a benefit for the state.