Lviv region resident jailed for refusing military service on religious grounds
Illustrative image of a court hearing on a case of draft evasion. Photo: open sources
On February 17, 2026, a court in the Lviv region sentenced a 42-year-old man from Stryi to three years of imprisonment for evading mobilization. Sud.ua reported the ruling.
According to the prosecution, in 2024 the man underwent a military medical examination and was declared fit for service. He subsequently received a draft notice requiring him to report on a specified date for deployment to a military unit.
However, he failed to appear at the territorial recruitment center. The man explained his refusal by citing religious beliefs. Prosecutors emphasized that the case did not concern compulsory peacetime service, which can be replaced with alternative civilian service, but rather mobilization during wartime.
The court found the defendant guilty under Article 336 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (evasion of mobilization) and imposed a sentence of three years’ imprisonment. The verdict will enter into force after the expiration of the appeal period.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a Lviv court denied a Protestant pastor the right to perform service without bearing arms.
Read also
Greece signs memorandum on protection of Jerusalem Patriarchate's shrines
Next week, the Greek Parliament will ratify a document on the protection of the cultural heritage of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
Greek bishop calls imposition of same-sex marriage a threat
Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythera urged families to become a “domestic church” amid threats to the Christian family in Greek laws and school curricula.
Patriarch Bartholomew arrives in Budapest for opening of Orthodox center
The Ecumenical Patriarch has arrived in Hungary, where he will preside over the consecration of the Orthodox center "Phanarion."
OCU raiders stage attack on seized church in Kyiv, media
OCU "hierarch" Serhiy Horobtsov published a provocative post online regarding St. John's Church in Bykivnia seized by his people.