Deacon of cathedral detained by military recruitment office in Sarny

Deacon Maksym Huzenko. Photo: UOJ

On June 14, 2025, officers from the Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) detained Deacon Maksym Huzenko, a cleric of the Protection Cathedral in the Sarny Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), according to sources in the eparchy who spoke with the UOJ.

Fr. Maksym has now been held at the recruitment center for two days, and there has been no contact with him. Clergy and parishioners of the cathedral are requesting prayers for the deacon’s safe return to his family and parish.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Kremenets, the TRC also detained Archimandrite Paphnutiy, abbot of the Pochaiv Holy Spirit Skete. He was sent to a military unit in Rivne Oblast.

Read also

Khmelnytskyi Eparchy delivers 20 tons of aid to hospitals and social institutions

Volunteers distributed a large humanitarian shipment among 16 medical and social institutions in the Khmelnytskyi region.

UGCC head blames Russia for tensions between Poland and Ukraine

Shevchuk claimed that Moscow is financing radical parties across Europe in an effort to undermine solidarity between Warsaw and Kyiv.

Priest to Dumenko: What are your fruits? Tears, fights, and forged documents?

A UOC cleric responded to statements by OCU head Epiphany Dumenko about the “restoration” of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

OCU “hierarchs” in Dnipro hold prayer breakfast with Jews and Catholics

Around 400 participants, including representatives of Dumenko’s structure, held a joint prayer breakfast in Dnipro.

Phanar head discusses shelling of Ukrainian shrines with Greek consul in Kherson

The consul expressed admiration for the Ecumenical Patriarch’s deep knowledge of developments in Ukraine.

Petition launched in Ukraine to protect Christian shrines from blasphemy

The initiative provides for amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine.