TRC abducts rector of community in Sutkivtsi, Khmelnytskyi region
Archpriest Volodymyr Stefanyshyn. Photo: Khmelnytskyi Eparchy
On July 11, 2026, TRC employees abducted the rector of the Intercession Church in Sutkivtsi, Volodymyr Stefanyshyn, reports the Khmelnytskyi Eparchy of the UOC. The priest was detained in the village of Yarmolyntsi and taken to the Khmelnytskyi military commissariat.
According to the eparchy, Fr. Volodymyr is already at the military training ground in Rivne.
It shoould be noted that according to the canonical rules of the Orthodox Church, a clergyman cannot take up arms, as the shedding of blood is incompatible with the ministry of a priest called to offer the bloodless sacrifice to God.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that, according to the DESS head, Viktor Yelensky, the authorities recognise that a priest cannot shed blood, yet they do not grant exemption from military mobilisation to UOC clergy.
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