OCU “priest”: Catching people for military recruitment is not a sin but a job

Oleksiy Filiuk. Photo: Filiuk’s Instagram

On October 18, 2025, well-known OCU blogger Oleksiy Filiuk declared that the work of Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) employees who mobilize citizens is not a sin. In his video message, the OCU “priest” responded to a conscript who said he was being forced to “catch people in the city.”

“If a person has been mobilized and their official duty is to work in the recruitment office, in the territorial centers, then what sin is there? The person is working, fulfilling their official responsibilities,” Filiuk said.

According to him, this job is no different from “selling bread in a shop,” and “there is no sin in it.”

“If a cook chased people with a ladle to the TRC, that would be strange. Or if a priest called on people to do it. But there’s no sin in this – it’s your job,” Filiuk explained.

Filiuk also commented on those evading mobilization: “Defending the Fatherland is your duty. Hiding is abnormal,” the OCU blogger told Ternopil 1.

However, several hours after publication, Filiuk deleted the video from his Instagram. The reasons for deletion have not been officially clarified, though the post had received numerous critical comments.

At the same time, Filiuk himself is not serving at the front. He explained that he has a legal deferral from service, as he has adopted four children from orphanages. Commenters noted that two of Filiuk’s four adopted children are already adults.

Earlier, Oleksiy Filiuk also stated that “turning in” relatives to the TRC is not a sin.

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