Commander-in-Chief of the AFU awarded the "Golden Cross" to a cleric of the Volyn diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyy, honored Archpriest Yuriy Zarafutdinov, a cleric of the Volyn diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, with the Golden Cross award. Father Yuriy is a veteran of the 24th separate mechanized brigade named after King Daniel and took an active part in the defense of Ukraine from Russian troops.

According to zahid.espreso.tv, the award was presented to the clergyman by Captain Dmitry Kravchuk. The award was given for Father Yuri’s contribution to the defense of the country. During the hostilities, Archpriest Yuri Zarafutdinov received a mine blast injury. Currently, the priest is undergoing treatment and recovery after another operation.

We shall remind you that on April 24, 2025, while performing his military duty in the combat zone , Archpriest Oleksiy Kuznetsov — cleric of Sumy diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church — died. The priest was serving as a military chaplain and psychologist in the 252nd separate battalion of territorial defense of the AFU. The Ukrainian State Service for Ethnopolitics did not express condolences to the family of the deceased cleric.