Details of arrest of UOC priest by Russian special services revealed

Archimandrite Feognost (Pushkov). Photo: t.me/o_thg

Archimandrite Feognost (Pushkov), a retired priest of the UOC and a cleric of the Luhansk diocese, has been out of contact since June 20, 2024. On July 15, it became known that he is being held in Detention Center No. 2 in Starobilsk, Luhansk region. This was reported on the Telegram channel 'Christians Against War'.

According to the priest's lawyer, he has been remanded in custody. This measure is currently being contested.

As noted in the public message, the charges against Father Feognost allow for "cautious optimism" that his pre-trial detention might be changed and that he could be released on bail soon.

The Telegram channel requests those who wish to support the clergyman to pray for him and send words of support via 'Telecom Zone'.

"If you have the opportunity to provide volunteer assistance to his mother, who is in the Luhansk region, please contact us," the message states. "What is not needed at this time is creating petitions, holding protests, or engaging in other forms of activist activity. This might be necessary in the future, but it could be counterproductive at the moment. If the situation changes, we will definitely inform you."

As the UOJ previously reported, Russian special services detained a UOC cleric in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region. In his last message on his Telegram channel, Father Feognost asked for help and stated that they wanted to "lock him up in the police".

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