UOC priest detained by Military Recruitment Office in Ternopil Region

Archpriest Ioann Koval. Photo: Dombrovskyi’s Facebook

On the morning of June 22, 2025, in the city of Shumsk (Ternopil region), officers from the Territorial Recruitment Center (TCC), together with police, detained Archpriest Ioann Koval of the Ternopil Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, according to a Facebook post by a deacon of the Holy Spirit Skete in Pochaiv.

The priest was on his way to serve Divine Liturgy at the Dormition of the Mother of God Church in the village of Onyshkivtsi and the Protection of the Theotokos Church in the village of Bolozhivka.

The incident occurred around 7:00 a.m. By 9:00 a.m., the priest was no longer reachable, and after 3:00 p.m., his phone was completely out of network coverage. Sources report that Fr. Ioann was taken to the Shumsk branch of the TRC, where his car was later found parked nearby.

TRC representatives have not provided any information to the priest’s relatives or parishioners regarding his whereabouts. Parishioners who contacted the local TRC received no answers to their inquiries.

The church community is asking for prayers in light of the situation.

Parishioners are requesting continued prayers for their priest.

Earlier, UOJ reported that in Kremenets, the TRC also detained the abbot of the Holy Spirit Skete in Pochaiv, Archimandrite Paphnutiy.

Read also